A Shred of Hope (Retelling of the Final Season)
by WinterBaron
Summary: Clementine, a teenaged girl, along with Alvin Junior rely on their instincts to see the light of another day. When they meet two teenagers, their story takes a turn, forcing them to step up and fight for what they stand for. Follow Clementine's story as she comes across friends and foes, putting her on treacherous paths and leaving her with bittersweet memories.
1. On the Road: Part I

**"_Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art...it has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival." - C.S. Lewis_**

She removed her knife from its sheath and stole a quick glance over the trunk of the car, before crouching to safety again. The sun glinted off the car, not nearly overhead yet. A slight breeze provided some respite to the living present on the street.

She was able to make out two walkers across the road, with their backs to her. She turned around to signal the little boy crouched behind her to hold his position.

She slowly got up, stealthily approaching the walkers from the back. There was a glint of silver followed by a squelching sound as the knife found its mark through the first walker's head. The second walker, just beginning to turn towards the noise, was swiftly kicked in the knee. It collapsed and with a second flash of the blade, met its demise.

As she sheathed the knife, she whistled to the boy, their pre-arranged signal for the all-clear. She wore a red jacket and what once used to be, a white T-shirt. Her jeans looked like it had been through better days, now, just a medley of blue and faded blood. She wore a baseball cap, splattered with dried blood along one side and a hole on the other that showed her dark brown hair. The cap was with her more so for the sentimental value than anything else. She also carried a backpack containing all their essentials.

The boy appeared from behind the car and walked to her side, an empty gas can in his hand, his eyes scanning the area for any other signs of danger. He wore a white full sleeves T-shirt, with brown and orange stripes along the arms and grey pants. His gun sat safely inside the holster she had made for him. Teaching a child to fire a gun would seem ghastly in most scenarios, even maybe in the current world, but she had taught him to use one, nonetheless, to protect himself, just like she had been taught early on.

The girl surveyed the street. Her name was Clementine. She had survived the early years of the outbreak with other survivors but, after inevitably losing several of them to the dead, had opted to survive on her own, along with the little boy. His parents had named him Alvin Junior, AJ for short, before they both succumbed. It had been over three years since she decided that life on the road was much safer for them. She believed that groups were a problem in themselves and would usually end in tragedy, as they always had for her.

There were a few buildings along the street, one of them being a store. The street was strewn with a few cars, most probably abandoned in the days after the outbreak. Gas was still a precious commodity, allowing them to move from place to place in search of other resources. It was difficult to stay in the same area for more than a while as people usually ran out of food and water, unless they resided in a community engaged in agricultural activities and close to a water source.

Clementine looked at the store and wondered whether they would find any food in there. Most places had already been raided by survivors through the years, but they did manage to find the untouched ones from time to time.

"What do you think we should do, AJ?" she asked, turning towards him. "Find gas or check out that store over there?" She pointed towards it.

"Well, we could get gas for our car first and then try the store." He paused. "Maybe we could find a place to stay here?" he asked, already knowing the answer to his question.

"You know that's not viable. Staying in one place for a long time has never served us well. Other people almost always find you. It's just better for us if we keep moving."

AJ nodded, disappointedly. "I know. It's just that... I'm tired of being on the road. We barely stay more than two days in any place. All we're doing is moving. What if we had a place to stay? Maybe, with other people?"

Clementine crouched in front of him, bringing her face level with his. "I'm sorry you have to grow up in this, kiddo. Even I'm tired too. But what else can we really do? Most places have been bled dry by survivors and we don't grow our own food either. We need to keep moving."

"But then why don't we find a community? Won't we get food and water and.. a house to stay?"

"Communities aren't that simple. It's safer to be on our own and on the move. They never end well." She noticed his dejected face and sighed. "You don't remember, but when you were at McCaroll Ranch, the night I came to take you away, it was a massacre. Someone attacked and destroyed the whole place. They didn't spare anyone. Not even the children. It was a nightmare." She took a deep breath, remembering the night. "I had to kill a lot of people to get us out of there. And I don't ever want to put us into that sort of danger again. Big groups never end well."

"Okay," he said dejectedly, his head hanging low.

Clementine wrapped her arms around him. "As long as you and I have each other, we'll be okay. Come on now," she said, getting up. "Let's see if any of these cars have gas remaining. We can try that red van."

They walked over to the van and looked it over. It seemed relatively undamaged, which was usually a good sign that probably no one had siphoned the gas from it yet. There were no walkers inside.

She knelt beside the van and pulled off her backpack, putting it down in front of her. Unzipping it, she pulled out 2 hoses, one short and one long, a cloth and a long screw driver. She inserted the flat blade inside the fuel lid and pried it open. She unscrewed the fuel cap and put the longer pipe into the tank and pulled it out to check whether there was any gas. The pipe came out with its end wet.

"Looks like we're in luck," she said to AJ, inserting the pipe all the way in. She put its other end into the gas can. Reaching for the second shorter pipe, she inserted one end into the tank and left the other end open to air. She tied the cloth tightly around both the pipes at the fuel tank entrance, completely covering any other open areas into the tank.

"You remember how to do this?" she asked him as she stood up.

He nodded and moved to the open pipe to complete the final step. He placed his mouth around the pipe and blew into it. This would cause any gas in the tank to be forced out through the other pipe and into the can.

Clementine slightly lifted the end of the longer pipe inserted into the can. "It's working. Well done," she told a beaming AJ. "Hopefully this gives us enough for a while. We can do a longer run then. We haven't had too much luck just heading north. Maybe we can try going west."

He considered that and thought back to the time when Clementine had taught him to identify directions. "The sun is there..." he said, pointing at it. He ran his finger across the sky to other side. "...so that means west is that side?"

"Roughly, yes. Good, so you were paying attention after all that day." She smiled.

AJ looked pleased with himself. "Yeah. It's helpful."

"I'm glad you see it that way." Clementine eyed the can. "Looks like the fuel is over," she said. "And we're at half capacity. That's pretty good." She pulled out the hose from the can and shook it to draw out any excess from the hose. She removed the apparatus from the tank, wiping the longer hose's end, and looked for the next car.

"Want to try that one?" She pointed at a blue sedan.

"We can," he replied.

She placed the hoses and the cloth in his hands. As she put the screwdriver back into the backpack beside her gun, she momentarily stared at it, before zipping up the backpack and putting it on. There was no need for a gun this instant. It would only draw walkers if she used it. She picked up the can and they both started walking to the car.

"I wonder what happened here," Clementine observed as they passed an RV full of bullet holes across one side.

"That's a lot of bullets," AJ said. "Were they made by a pistol? Like the ones we have?"

"Most probably not. Looks like some assault rifle." She considered the scenario. "I definitely don't want to be on the receiving end of that."

"Are those the big guns? Like the ones those men were carrying in the forest?"

"Yeah that's the one," she replied. They had come across a couple of heavily armed men travelling through the forest a month ago. Clementine and AJ had hidden in the bushes till they had passed, avoiding any contact lest they were hostile.

They reached the car and Clementine put down the can. She quickly glanced inside the car for any walkers and then pulled off her backpack. Removing the screwdriver, she waved it in front of AJ's face. "Want to try?"

He nodded eagerly. He passed her the hoses and cloth and took the screwdriver from her and inserted one end and tried to pry it open, grunting in the process.

"What happened? Not strong enough?" she teased.

"Give. Me. A. Second," he said, emphasising each word as he tried his best to open it. The lid finally swung open to reveal the fuel cap.

"Good job, kiddo. Here, give me the screwdriver and take this." She handed him the longer hose. "See if there's anything in the tank."

He repeated what he had seen Clementine doing. The hose came out dry. "It's empty," he said.

"Damn it. Let's try another then."

They made their way to the next car, before prying open the fuel lid and repeating the process.

"This one looks like it has some," he said.

"Well, go on, I want you to try this one on your own."

He inserted the other hose into the tank and tied the cloth around them.

"Your knot is loose," Clementine observed. "Tighten it... that's right... and... there you go. Now you know how to get gas from a car all by yourself."

"It's not that difficult. It looks, but it really isn't."

"It isn't," she agreed. "It's something you should know, anyway. It always comes in handy."

"When did you learn to do this?" AJ asked.

She thought about it for a second. "Kenny taught me, back when it was the three of us. He taught me how to drive too."

AJ stood in silence for a few moments. "Do you miss him, Clem?"

She thought of the last time she saw Kenny. He'd sacrificed himself to the walkers so Clementine and AJ could escape. "I do. And he loved you. A lot."

"He did?"

"Yep. He would throw a fit whenever you left his sight." She smiled, remembering Kenny's outbursts. "He had a huge temper. But underneath all that, he loved us both."

"I wish I remembered him. But I don't."

"You were too young, goofball," she said. "You know, we used to make hand shadow animals for you," she remembered, her thoughts drifting back in time.

"I had fun with that?"

"You were a baby then," she reminded him.

"Right. Babies get entertained with anything."

"I don't know about all babies, but you did. You were actually easy to handle."

"Really?"

"Yep. You didn't cry much. And hugs really seemed to calm you down," she chuckled.

"They still do." He checked the hose. All the gasoline had been moved into the can, filling it to about a little over halfway. "Is this enough?" he asked.

Clementine knelt and checked the can. "This seems good." She screwed the cap back on. "You want to go check that store out now?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Let's pack up here then," she told him, looking at the store.

**Author's Note: That concludes the first chapter for ASOH! Reviews, follows and favourites are much appreciated :)**


	2. On the Road: Part II

The store looked just as dilapidated as every building on the street. It had a parking for a dozen cars in the front. The door was a metal frame with glass embedded in between. It used to be transparent but years of neglect had made it nearly impossible to see through. The glass fronts on either side of the door had been covered from the inside.

"Can you see anything?" Clementine asked AJ, as they both tried to look through the glass.

"No." He narrowed his eyes to see if that would help. "I can make out the shelves but it's too dark in there."

"It is. Let's see if we can get in." She set down the can and pushed the door, but it refused to move. She pressed her shoulder against it and gave it a harder push. The door moved slightly but got caught again.

"There's something blocking the door from the inside," Clementine said. "Here, help me push this."

They both pressed their shoulders against the door and pushed hard. When it seemed like it was futile, the door suddenly opened halfway, with a thud on the other side.

"Finally," she said.

AJ moved forward to enter the store but was immediately stopped by Clementine.

"What did we talk about, AJ?" she asked.

He sighed. "You go first and I follow you."

"And?"

"No wandering by myself."

"Good. Stay behind me, now."

Clementine unsheathed her knife and peeked in through the opening. It was still pretty dark but the open door provided some more sunlight. She could make out a couple of aisles and the cashier's desk to the right. Faded blood decorated the floor.

"AJ, pull out the flashlight from my bag and hold this," she instructed, handing him the can.

He opened the bag and handed her the flashlight. Shining it inside, looking for walkers, she saw a few food cans lying on the floor and a few still on the shelves. Most of it seemed empty. She slowly stepped inside. There was a shelf lying on the floor, still blocking the door from opening further.

"That's what was blocking the door," she told AJ as he entered. They made their way to the cashier's desk and examined it. It had a few chewing gum packets lying across the counter.

"What's that?" he asked, looking at them.

"That's chewing gum. You're supposed to chew it and then spit it out when the flavour is gone. I haven't seen these in forever."

"Can I try it?"

Clementine picked one up, reading its cover. "I think so. This one's strawberry. Here," she said, handing him one and bagging the rest. She bent over the counter and checked for drawers. She found one and opened it, revealing a few crumpled currency notes. She picked it, looking at it.

"Let's check the aisles," Clementine said, putting the money into her pocket. "Stay close."

He didn't respond, busy chewing the gum. "This tastes good," he told her.

"It does, doesn't it? I had a lot of these when I was a kid."

"Lucky," he said.

Clementine chuckled. "Wish I'd had more hot chocolate when I had the chance," she lamented, walking over to the aisles, AJ following her. The floor was littered with empty food cans. AJ kicked one and it made a sound as it flew through the aisle and hit the opposite wall.

"Don't do that. Stay as quiet as you can." She could make out a door along the wall, making a mental note to check it after going through all the aisles.

There were a handful of cans remaining in the shelves. Clementine picked one up, reading the name.

"Sliced peaches." She turned it around to check if it was rotten. It wasn't. "Look, we found some peaches," she told AJ, showing him the can.

He grabbed it and looked it over. She checked the other cans around the store, coming across three more cans.

"I like peaches," AJ said, as he placed the last can inside Clementine's bag.

"Yeah. At least we won't go hungry for a couple of days. We still have some rice and a couple of cans remaining." She looked at the door she'd spotted before. "Let's go see what's behind that door," she told AJ, making her way over to it.

The door had no window to look through. Clementine handed AJ the flashlight and told him to stand behind her. She held the knife with one hand, the other on the handle. Half expecting it to be locked, she turned it. Much to her surprise, the door slowly creaked open. The sound of a low growl broke the silence.

"There's a walker in here. Give me the flashlight," she said. She flashed the light inside. The floor was caked in dried blood, with stains spreading to the edge of the room, where the growl was coming from. She moved the light along the stain, spotting the walker. It was sitting in the corner, a cloth wrapped around its stomach. Its leg appeared to be broken, rendering it unable to get up. On the table beside it, was a book and a pen.

Clementine cautiously made her way over to the walker and stabbed it in the head. She picked up the book from the table, observing that it was stained with bloody fingerprints. She flipped it open, running through the pages. It seemed to be a diary with lots of writing.

"What's that?" AJ asked, standing at the door.

"Looks like a lot of scribbling and a couple of maps," she replied. "I'll read it later." She placed the diary into the bag, carefully pushing it to the side so it wouldn't get crumpled. The pages already looked like they were a touch away from being pulled out.

She turned her attention to the walker, noticing that the corpse didn't look as decaying as the walkers outside. Walkers that were around for a longer time had lost a lot of their flesh, giving them an eerie skeletal look. "It looks like he died from injuries and then turned," Clementine said, observing the cloth and his leg. "Someone could've attacked him. Explains why the front door was barricaded." She took a quick look around for any medicines. "There aren't any antibiotics in here. Maybe he died of his infection."

"That's not good," he said.

"No, it's not," she agreed. She flashed the light around looking for anything useful, suddenly spotting a piece of paper lying under the table. She reached for it, picking it up as a blood-stained photo fell out of the folded paper onto the ground. She picked up the photo, looking at the man and woman holding hands and smiling into the camera. She turned it around, finding a title that read: '2001: The Beth Rivers and Matthew Smith Home - Love, Jonathan'. The paper seemed to be empty, only covered in drops of blood. Clementine pocketed the photo, turning around to look at AJ.

"Let's leave. We've spent enough time here," she decided.

They walked back to the road and began making their way to the car. It was parked a mile outside of the small town. Clementine preferred to leave the car a little away from the zone when on supply runs in case someone was already there, giving them the opportunity of being undetected.

It had been a few hours since they had arrived there and it was already late afternoon. The breeze had continued blowing, allowing them a breather in the heat, although the night would get much colder. Trees grew along either sides of the road, completely covering it in fallen leaves.

Under normal circumstances, a teenage girl with a backpack and a gas of can in her hand, her knife by her side and a little boy, a pistol tucked into his belt, walking down the road, might have shocked people. But, being forced to grow under such circumstances had stripped away the innocence of childhood, replacing it with a more primal instinct of survival.

As they made the walk back to their car, AJ turned to Clementine.

"Clem?"

"Hm?"

"Are there any good people left?"

Clementine looked at him. "What makes you ask that?"

"That man in the room. He was killed by some people, wasn't he?" he asked.

She nodded slowly. "Most probably," she replied. "There are bad people everywhere. They were there before things were like this, too."

"So, are there good people?"

"Maybe. Everyone's just trying to survive. Some people do it peacefully, others more... violently."

"Are we good people?"

Clementine looked at the road, trying to form an answer. "Good doesn't have the same definition it did when things were normal," she began. "I've done bad things too, but I did them to protect myself or someone I loved."

"But you've killed people."

Clementine had killed more than one person. After being left alone with AJ following Kenny's death, she had become much more hardened. Killing did not bother her very much and she had learned to not to leave things to chance. She'd adopted a policy of better them than her. But with AJ growing up, she had realised that she couldn't be that person anymore. She had to be a better human for his sake.

"Yes. Because I had to. If there was any other way I wouldn't," she replied.

"But how do you know that you have to kill someone?"

"You... just know. I mean there are things that come into your head like whether they're armed, whether they're a threat, and all that, I guess."

"Okay," he said, nodding his head, trying to take in everything Clementine said.

"I'd still feel better if you didn't shoot someone. I don't think you're old enough to understand whether you should," she added.

"But I've grown up a lot now. I'll know," he insisted.

"Maybe. But, don't. Killing changes you, and it's better if you grew up first."

"It does?"

"Yes," she replied, finding her eyes locked onto his pistol. She remembered when she had to shoot the stranger to save Lee. It had horrified her even though she knew it was the right decision. "It makes you see things differently. You start looking at killing as an option."

"Oh."

They walked in silence for a few moments before AJ spoke again.

"Will I need to kill someone, like you did?" he asked.

Clementine didn't answer. She didn't know what to tell him. On one hand, the situation, being as it was, it was highly probable that he would need to take a human life. On the other hand, he was just a child. She didn't know whether telling him that he probably would was a good idea. She was responsible for him and she had to make sure she did the best she could as a motherly figure. She had to teach him the difference between shooting someone that wasn't a threat and shooting someone that was, before he decided to pick up a gun and point it at a human. If he couldn't differentiate, it would cause problems for them.

"Hopefully not," she finally answered. "I'll make sure it doesn't happen."

"Okay, Clem," he said. He didn't completely understand the concept of killing, but he knew that he never wanted to let Clementine down. He looked up to her.

"Have you killed someone you loved?" AJ asked Clementine.

They had nearly reached the car now. They could see it in the distance, an orange ugly thing. They had found it a month ago, lying in a garage. Other than the indicators, it worked fine, although the idea of functioning indicators in this time was a few steps lower than working televisions on the rung of necessities. The car also had a cassette player but with the apocalypse, Clementine and AJ weren't particularly motivated to go looking for cassettes.

Clementine sighed softly. AJ had been asking a lot of questions, some of them being quite tough to answer, but she was determined not to turn him down like she had been by most of the adults looking after her. He didn't understand a lot of things and it was only natural that he asked questions about them to someone.

"I did. I shot Lee."

"He was the one who took care of you, right?" he asked.

"Yes. He got bit looking for me. He asked me to shoot him before he died from the bite and turned." She paused. "He didn't want to be one of them."

"That must have been bad."

"It was," she replied, feeling that familiar dull ache. Lee had made sure she survived no matter what, putting her before himself. He was a stranger who had found a little girl and looked after her like his own daughter. Clementine had been completely lost when everyone she loved died to the walkers or to other people. AJ became her sole reason to survive and she was willing to give up her life for him, just like Lee did for her.

They reached the car. Clementine opened the trunk, revealing AJ's bag, a couple of bottles of water, and a small pile of their clothes, though they changed clothes only when they got too dirty. The cans of food and rice were in the backseat in a bag. She poured some of the gasoline in the car's tank and placed the can in the trunk. Drinking some water, she passed the bottle to AJ before closing the trunk. She put her bag on the passenger seat and got behind the wheel, while AJ got in the backseat, strapping himself in.

"Ready?" she asked, adjusting the mirror.

He nodded.

She slowly drove back onto the road and away from the small town. They drove in silence for nearly an hour, observing the road and the trees around.

She adjusted her mirror again, to look at AJ.

"What are you doing back there?" she asked, moving her eyes to the road and back to him.

"Looking." He stretched himself. "I'm bored," he said.

"I know. It is pretty boring. It would be nice if we had some music."

AJ didn't reply.

"Why don't you try reading? It's still light outside so you can practice for some time," she suggested.

"I don't want to."

"Come on. Just a page and you're free to look at the trees again."

"Fine," he said resignedly as he reached for the book lying on the seat beside him, opening it on his lap.

He tried reading the words but it was difficult for him. Most of it came out broken with several mispronunciations, corrected by Clementine. Frustrated, he closed the book and tossed it aside.

"Why is reading so hard?" he asked, irritated.

"Only if I knew, kiddo." She looked back at him. "Only if I knew."

**Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed that! Reviews, follows and favourites are highly appreciated :D**


	3. The Last and the First Day

"How does that place look?" Clementine asked, bringing the car to a halt as she pointed at the building.

It was an abandoned train station. A couple of dysfunctional engines decorated the area in front of the building, the latter itself looking dozens of years old. It was one storeyed. A few trees grew around the broken-down fence of the property, with the forest a little distance away, making it look quite pleasant barring the couple of walkers aimlessly stumbling about near the engines.

"Yeah," AJ said, fatigue showing in his voice. Day after day on the road was affecting him and he was growing weary of travelling so much. The last few days had been much more tiring, mentally more than physically, especially after that walker that got in when they were sleeping.

Clementine, too, was tired. The nightmares were keeping her up and she was starting to realise she couldn't keep this up for very long. She'd done it for a few years now and it was beginning to take a toll on her. She wanted to stay in one place but she also knew that they were safer moving around. AJ was her priority and she wasn't going to endanger him in a place where she didn't feel they would be safe.

"Tired?" she asked, looking back at him.

It was late afternoon. A few clouds painted the blue sky white in patches. It hadn't rained for a while and Clementine hoped it would stay that way. The cold and the wetness that the rain brought with it made them miserable.

They'd been driving for a few hours now, halting only when they needed to relieve themselves. Most of their runs had turned up dry again, forcing Clementine to drive further this time around.

"Yeah. Cars aren't fun," he said, without emotion.

"They definitely aren't," she replied. "Let's go see what we can find." She pulled her gun out of her backpack and put the bag on as she stepped outside the car, rubbing her arms.

There was a large open space leading up to the station.

"Hopefully, we find something worth taking here," Clementine said as they walked.

"Maybe," AJ said flatly.

She sighed. "Come on, kiddo. I didn't want to leave the house back there. It just wasn't safe."

"Then what's safe? You say that every time!"

"I'm just looking out for us. I don't want anything happening to you."

"Maybe something will," he said angrily.

"AJ!" Clementine exclaimed, shocked. "You're not supposed to say things like that."

He immediately regretted his words. "I didn't mean it," he said softly.

"I know you didn't," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

AJ was finding it difficult to cope with things and so was she. There was only so much she could tell him before he felt things could be done differently. He hadn't seen as much as Clementine had and there was no way he would always understand her actions. Things that she did were in line what she believed was the best course of action for their survival. He had only seen the horrors of the world and he was getting tired of life like this.

They reached the fence of the station. The two engines on either side provided a straight path to the door of the building. The walkers in the middle had caught onto their sound and were slowly making their way over to a potential meal.

"Stay behind me, AJ. I'll deal with this," Clementine said, pulling out her knife. She waited for the first walker to reach her before she kicked its knee, breaking it. The walker with an agitated growl collapsed onto the ground. She moved aside from it and proceeded to make quick work of the second walker. Once that was done, she did the same to the walker on the ground.

"When can I do that?" AJ asked, walking forwards, observing the walker corpses.

"Soon. You have to be stronger first," she told him, wiping her knife on the walker's clothes before putting it back. She looked around, spotting more walkers near the forest. It looked like a small horde was heading their way. They hadn't noticed the pair yet so Clementine decided to leave them be, with the thought that they would be in and out before they knew it.

They made their way to the main door. It was wooden and had a brass handle, completely covered with dust, a window by the left side that was equally dusty, but still allowed them to peek inside. It was a naturally well-lit room, seemingly devoid of the dead.

Clementine reached for the handle and pushed it down. The door creaked as it opened, probably being closed for several years. They walked into the room, looking around for any signs of danger. The wall opposite the door was adorned with a painting of the mountains that had now faded to just remnants of brown and green. To the right, there was a table upon which a small replica of the steam engine was placed. To the left, there were a few benches and beyond that, a door. The room looked like a waiting room.

"What is this place?" AJ asked, looking around.

"It's a train station," she replied. "This is probably where they kept the trains."

"Like that outside?" he asked, remembering the engines.

"Yeah. Those are the engines. They pull the rest of the train."

"Have you ever been on a train?"

"Yes. Not a lot of times though," she said, pulling off her bag and placing it on the bench.

"Is it fun?"

She walked over to the mini train replica. "It is. Since you're not the one driving," she joked, looking at it.

AJ laughed.

"You know, I got my first haircut of the outbreak in a train," she said.

"Really?"

"Yep. And I learnt how to use a gun too," she said, turning to him.

"That's cool," AJ said, sitting down on a bench.

"It wasn't, in the moment. It was pretty scary actually."

"Why? Guns aren't that scary."

"Well, maybe not now. But I didn't exactly grow up with guns around me. I learned math and language and science."

"That sounds boring," he replied.

Clementine smiled. "Not really. I was pretty good at it. I was considered intelligent in school," she said, sitting down beside AJ.

"Am I intelli...gent?" AJ asked.

"Intelligent," she said. "Yes, you are. More than most people I know," she added.

AJ smiled broadly. "I don't like math though," he said, remembering the addition and subtraction problems Clementine had given him.

"I know you don't. Honestly, I hated math in school," Clementine admitted. "But turns out it's necessary in real life. So, you might as well learn how to do it."

"It is?"

Clementine nodded. "What's the point if you can't count how many cans of food you have and can't figure out how many days the food could last?"

"Oh. I've seen you do that," AJ said.

"Yep, you have. It's how I plan our supply runs too. And how much we can drive with the amount of gas we have."

"That sounds like a lot," he furrowed his brows. "I don't know if I'll be able to do it."

"You will," Clementine reassured him. "Give it time. I wasn't good at this either, at the start. I learnt it through the years."

"That's a long time," AJ said disappointedly.

"You're not going to learn it in a day, kiddo." She put her arm around him. "Besides, before you know it, you'll be as old as I am right now. Time passes quickly," she said, resting her head on his.

"I know," he replied, looking down at his shoes. "I want to be like you one day," he declared.

Clementine couldn't help the smile spreading across her face. "You're going to be better."

They sat in silence, their worries melting away as they took comfort in each other's company. They hadn't sat quietly like this, just enjoying the calm, for a while now. They spent so much time travelling or scavenging that they didn't think to stop and enjoy the moment, to just sit in the tranquillity of the moment and not worry about their next meal or the next walking dead.

"We still haven't checked that door," Clementine said, breaking the silence as she remembered the walkers near the forest.

AJ lazily glanced at it and waited for her to get up first. When she did, he stretched his back and got onto his feet.

"I hope the door isn't locked," Clementine wished as she stood in front of the door, her hand on the knob.

It was another wooden door, with a shaky doorknob attached to it. It rattled slightly as Clementine tried to turn it.

"Damn it. It's locked," she said, stepping back from the door. "It would've been too easy."

"You can open it with your hairclip, can't you?" AJ asked.

"That's what I'm gonna do." She removed two hairclips from her bag and carefully picked the lock. After a few tries, it clicked open. She pulled out her knife and slowly opened the door.

The walker appeared out of nowhere. It seemed to burst out of the room, sending the door flying open in Clementine's face, causing her to stumble backwards and fall with a yelp, her knife flying out of her hand. The walker fell on top of her, held at bay only by Clementine's arm across its neck. It desperately tried to bite her face, its teeth a mere inch away, gnashing against each other. Clementine tried to push it off with her other hand, but it weighed more than she could move, slowly suffocating her.

There was an unmistakable sound of a stab in the skull and suddenly, the walker stopped writhing and biting. She tried to push it off again, succeeding this time. It rolled off of her onto the floor. She breathed huge mouthfuls of air, feeling her heart race.

"You okay?" she heard AJ ask.

She pushed herself up into a sitting position, coughing. She could see AJ approach and kneel next to her.

"Clem?" he asked, concerned.

Clementine nodded slowly. She turned to look at the walker lying next to her, seeing her knife protruding from its skull.

"You did that?" she asked him.

He nodded. "You needed help," he said.

"I did," she said, getting up slowly. "Thanks."

AJ bent down and pulled out the knife from the skull, wiping it on the walker's clothes, like he had seen Clementine do. He held it out for her.

"My first walker kill," he said proudly.

Clementine took the knife back, almost sheathing it before deciding to keep it out.

"Probably the best time to have done that. Few more seconds and I was done for." She stood with her hands on her hip, knife gripped in one hand, gathering herself. "I hope there aren't any more in there," she said, walking into the room.

It had a window across that was boarded up, allowing some sunlight to pass through the gaps. It lit the room well enough for them to see parts of it. Metal shelves decorated the walls, littered with files. A few empty food cans lay strewn across the floor. Two mattresses were laid side by side in one corner of the room, a couple of old blankets covering them. A table and chair were placed beneath the window. It looked like a storeroom for files that was, later, being used by a survivor.

Clementine walked to the table, opening the drawers to check for anything useful.

"Not much here," she said, looking at the pencil she found. "Here's something for you, AJ." She handed it to him, watching as his face lit up. AJ loved drawing. It was one of the things that gave him immense joy.

Clementine could hear the growls of walkers outside. Realising they didn't have much time, she quickly turned her attention to the other things in the room. She did a quick sweep of it with her eyes and saw something she missed before.

An inconspicuous black bag sat in a dark corner of the room.

She made her way over to the bag and knelt down in front of it. She ran her hand across the bag from the outside, feeling the outlines of small cylindrical objects. Hoping against hope, she unzipped it, peeking inside.

Cans of food stared her in the face. She pulled out one, noticing another row below those that she could already see.

"Holy fuck," she whispered, not believing her eyes. "AJ, come here!"

She heard footsteps and AJ's voice as he halted behind her.

"What? Did you fi... Is that food?" he asked incredulously. "All of that?"

Clementine looked back at him. A victorious smile emerged on her face. "Yes!"

AJ moved forward and picked up a can, inspecting it. "That's a lot," he said, looking at the bag.

"This could feed us for weeks. At least," Clementine said joyfully. She got up and hugged AJ tightly. "I haven't seen this much food together in a few years," she said, releasing him.

"Me neither," he said, smiling. "Does this mean that we can eat something right now? I'm still hungry."

"Let's get this to the car first. There seem to be wal -" she broke off, hearing voices outside. She listened for a second before hastening to close the door of the room. "Don't make a sound," she instructed AJ.

They stood in silence, waiting for the voices to pass. The main door suddenly creaked open, followed by footsteps, before being closed.

"Fuck, that was too close," they heard a female voice.

**Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed that! Reviews, favourites and follows are appreciated.**


	4. Fortuitous Alliances

Clementine stiffened. She had hoped that these people wouldn't enter the building, but now that they had, a confrontation seemed inevitable. She decided to stay hidden in the storeroom until it was absolutely necessary for AJ and her to show themselves.

She glanced at him. He looked back at her, hand on his gun, ready to pull it out at a moment's notice.

"Yeah, way too close," she heard a male voice.

"I told you, we should've stuck to the path we decided with Marlon. Why the fuck did you have to run off?" the female asked, irritation clear in her voice.

"Because it didn't look promising. Besides, if we'd gotten that car outside, it would've made things a hell of a lot easier, don't you think?"

"For fuck's sake, Louis. When will you grow up? We could've gotten killed!"

"Chill out, Vi. We're still alive, aren't we?" the male called Louis said.

"Yeah. Barely," the female scoffed, who Clementine assumed to be Vi. "Don't ever try that again."

"Alright, I promise. I won't do that again," Louis apologised.

There was silence for a few seconds as Clementine heard footsteps move across the room.

"There's still quite a few of them out there," Vi said. "Don't think we can get out right now."

"Let's wait here for a while. They'll thin out soon," Louis proposed. "Hopefully," he added.

"Doesn't look like we have a choice anyway. It'll get dark soon enough though." There was another silence. "Wait, whose bags are those?" Another silence. "And there's a dead walker there."

Clementine's heart skipped a beat. They'd completely forgotten about their bags on the bench and the walker corpse. They didn't have much time before they were discovered.

She looked at AJ as she pulled out her gun. "Don't come out until I tell you to," she whispered. She quickly opened the door, pointing the gun at the intruders as she stepped into the waiting room.

"What the fuck?" Vi said, shocked to see a gun pointed at them.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Don't shoot! We're not here to hurt you!" Louis raised his hands in front of him defensively.

Clementine didn't respond, keeping the gun trained on them. She wasn't about to take chances with people she didn't know. Both of them looked near about her age and carried backpacks. Vi had blonde hair, ending slightly above her shoulders. She wore a denim sleeveless jacket with a black full sleeves t-shirt under her light green t-shirt and grey jeans that looked as if she had fallen one too many times. Her boots were caked with mud. She held a bloody hatchet in one hand.

Louis, on the other hand, wore an olive-green t-shirt and a brown trench coat. His jeans, too, were torn in several places. His brown boots were neatly tucked under the ends of his jeans. His dark brown hair was styled into dreads, nearly the same length as his friend. He held, what looked like, a long wooden rod with nails embedded into it.

"Listen, we'd leave if we could, but there's just too many of them outside," Louis continued.

Clementine had heard the walkers outside, and judging from their conversation, it was possible that they had entered the building to escape from the walkers. Still, she wasn't going to trust them without them taking the first step.

"Put down your weapons first," she instructed.

Louis knelt, putting down his weapon and stood up. "There you go."

"You too," Clementine told Vi.

The girl grit her teeth before thinking better of it. She placed her hatchet down on the floor. "Fine. Better?"

"Much better," Clementine replied. She slowly made her way to the window, gun still pointed at them. She looked out the window and saw the walkers. There were quite a few of them roaming around near the property. "That's a whole lot of them," Clementine observed. She recalled seeing walkers in the distance, but she hadn't realised there were so many of them.

"That is," Louis agreed. "We were out there and almost got caught in it, so we ran here,"

"They saw you come in here?"

"Doubt it. They would've been at the door by now, otherwise."

Clementine nodded. "How many of you?"

"Just the two of us," he replied. "Look, will you please lower that gun? We're not harming you."

Clementine stared at them, debating what to do. She decided to trust her instincts. "Don't make me regret this." She slowly lowered the gun, not taking her eyes off of them.

"Thank you," Louis said, relieved. "I'm Louis."

Violet said nothing, instead, picking up her hatchet and walking to the wall to lean against it.

"That's Violet. She...just doesn't like strangers much," Louis introduced her.

"No fucking shit," Violet commented from the back.

"I'm Clementine."

"No way. Like 'Oh My Darling, Clementine'?" Louis asked.

"Really, Louis?" Violet asked.

Clementine was surprised by Louis' behaviour. She hadn't met anyone like him in the apocalypse. It was as if he'd already forgotten that he was held at gunpoint by her a few moments ago.

"What? I like that song. It's got a nice-"

"So, you're here alone?" Violet asked, cutting him off. "Cause I'd like more people to pop out and point a gun in my face." The sarcasm glinted in her voice.

"There's two of us," Clementine replied, softly whistling as she tucked her gun into her waistband.

They heard footsteps before AJ appeared at the door.

"Holy shit, that's a kid," Louis said, surprised. "Hey, little dude," he said to AJ.

"This is AJ," Clementine said.

"Who are they?" AJ asked Clementine.

"I'm Louis and that's Violet," Louis introduced themselves again.

AJ looked at them, his eyes falling on Louis' weapon. "What's that?" he asked.

"That?" Louis pointed at the wooden rod. "That is Chairles. A chair leg, in crude words, but I prefer a name. A beauty, isn't it?" He picked it up.

"Why does it have nails?" Clementine asked.

Louis grinned. "Why not give them pain when you whack them?"

"Walkers don't feel pain," AJ said.

"But you feel better don't you? It's very useful for walkers that get too close."

AJ stared at it, trying to figure out how he felt about it. "I like it," he decided.

"See? He likes it," Louis told Violet proudly.

"Whatever sails your boat, Louis," she said, folding her hands.

"Can I see it?" AJ asked.

"Sure. Here," Louis said, holding out Chairles.

AJ took it from him and inspected it.

"Watch for the nails," Clementine warned. "They could be rusted."

AJ nodded. "It's cool," he said.

"I'm glad you like it," Louis said. He turned to Clementine. "So, where's your group?"

"It's just the two of us. We don't have a group," Clementine replied.

"Really? You take care of him all by yourself?"

"We look after each other," she said, looking at AJ. "Difficult to believe?"

Louis thoughts reflected back a few minutes ago where she had them both at gunpoint. "Not really. I mean, I definitely wouldn't mess with you."

"Good, cause I'd win," Clementine said. She saw Violet crack a tiny smile out of the corner of her eyes.

"Hey, if anything, I'm still surprised I'm alive. Everyone thinks I'll be the first to go."

"Louis? If you're done wasting time, maybe we can figure out how to get out of here now that there are more of us?" Violet interjected.

Louis sighed, knowing fully well that Violet was right. "What do you say to a momentary alliance?" he asked Clementine.

Clementine thought about the walkers outside. It was getting late as it is and they had to get out before they were completely stuck. Normally, she'd have thought it was better for her and AJ to leave alone, but it was also true that if the four of them helped each other, their chances of making it out alive were much better. She didn't see the harm in joining forces for the time being. "Okay," she decided. "We can help each other."

"Alright then, let's figure out how we're going to do that," Violet said. "We need to leave right now. It's getting dark and none of us will survive if those fuckheads break down the door."

"I say we walk out there and bash their brains in. With the four of us, we could get out of here easily," Louis suggested.

"I don't think we can fight it out. There are way too many of them out there. And again, the sun will set soon. A fight with walkers in the dark isn't viable," Violet shot him down.

Clementine looked around for anything they could use. Her eyes fell upon the corpse and she knew what they were going to do.

"Walker guts," she said suddenly. "That's what how we're going to walk through them."

Confused faces stared back at her.

"You mean, we put their guts on ourselves? No fucking way," Louis said, disgusted.

"Does that even work?" Violet asked apprehensively, observing the dead walker.

"Yep. They can't smell you through that. You still have to walk slowly though. But it's very efficient to walk through big hordes," Clementine replied.

"You've done it before?" Louis asked.

"More times than I can count," she replied. She'd used the disguise plenty of times in situations that would otherwise have turned her into a flesh-craving, ugly version of herself. "It works well."

"Walking between walkers? Disgusting, but pretty badass, I'll give you that." Louis looked at AJ. "What about AJ?" he asked.

"What about him?" Clementine asked.

"Is he going to be able to do it?"

"I can," AJ replied confidently.

"He's done it a couple of times when we had to walk through them," Clementine told her.

Louis nodded, slightly surprised at that.

Clementine pulled out her knife and opened up the walker, chest to stomach. Pocketing the knife, she scooped out the guts. A strong decaying smell invaded their nostrils.

"Fuck, that stinks," Louis swore, covering his nose with his hand. "I think I'm gonna puke."

Clementine applied the blood to AJ's clothes, completely covering him. She put some on his face.

"It smells really bad, Clem," he complained.

"I know. But this is the only way right now. You know I never make you do this if we can avoid it."

Violet saw how Clementine applied the blood and proceeded to cover herself. She felt repulsed by the smell but she knew it was their only shot. She soon realised that she couldn't reach her back. She looked at Clementine, who was just finishing slathering her jeans red. She shook her head and chose to ask Louis for help.

"Louis, get that blood on you. And do my back too," she told him.

Clementine saw Louis still trying to dip his hands into the walker's chest. "I'll do it for you," she told Violet.

Violet gave her a surprised look before nodding and turning around. Clementine rubbed some blood onto her back.

Louis had partly gotten over the stench and was applying the blood, albeit with a disgusted look.

"You haven't done your back, Louis," Violet said.

"Do that for me?" he asked.

Finally, after they were all covered, they took a long look at each other.

"We look like freaks," Louis observed.

"More than the dead guys out there?" Violet asked.

"Okay, maybe not that much," he admitted. "Washing this is going to be a pain in the ass. Looks like that bath is inevitable." He raised his eyebrow comically at Violet.

"Focus, Louis. The bath isn't important right now," Violet urged.

They pulled on their bags, when suddenly, Clementine remembered the bag of food she'd found in the storeroom. She returned to the room and retrieved the bag, carrying it in her hand.

"That's a lot of bags to carry." Louis observed.

Clementine shrugged. "Life on the road, I guess."

He chuckled. "Well, what are we waiting for?" he asked, swinging Chairles about.

"A few things you should remember. Don't attack unless it's absolutely necessary," Clementine said. "They can't smell you. And don't try moving too fast. Just move like them."

"So, walk stupidly. Got it," Louis said.

"We'll head for the road. After that, you're on your own."

"Okay. What's the plan if we get separated?" he asked.

"Don't panic. Just walk slowly to the road," Clementine replied.

"Got it."

Clementine knelt down in front of AJ. "You remember how to blend in?" she asked him.

He nodded.

"Good. Don't panic. They won't hurt you if you follow what I said, okay?"

"I've done it before, Clem. You don't have to worry," he said.

"I will always worry about you, kiddo," she said. She got up and walked to the door, the others following her. She placed her hand on the door handle, looking at them. "Ready?" she asked.

The three of them nodded, Louis and Violet armed with their weapons in case they needed to use them.

Clementine opened the door and pulled out her knife. "Stay close," she said, stepping outside.

The sounds of walker growls filled the air. The sun was going down now, casting an orange light over the chaos. It was just barely enough for them to see the walkers. There were too many of them to try and fight through. It would have been futile, at the least, to rely solely on weapons.

They walked in a single file, covered in walker guts, slowly making their way through the horde. Clementine weaved them in and out of the path of the walkers, AJ close behind her, followed by Violet and Louis. None of them spoke. Violet and Louis' hearts were beating rapidly, never having in the midst of such a large monstrosity.

The horde was becoming much denser now and Clementine found it difficult to make sure that everyone was following her. She reached for AJ's hand, clasping it firmly. She saw an opening where the herd was thinning out and started walking towards there. The walkers seemed to be making a beeline for them, just narrowly avoiding them as if they were playing a game.

As she made towards the road, she felt AJ's hand slip through hers. She turned around but couldn't spot him. All she could see was walkers in every direction. A chill ran down her spine, as she frantically looked around. The walkers shuffled around her, mindlessly. She felt a stab of fear and her heart started pounding faster. She desperately tried to fight the fear, lest she lost her wits.

Then she saw it. A glimpse of her blonde acquaintance moving through the walkers.

She quickly pushed through the dead, completely forgetting to move slowly to blend in. All she could think about was getting to AJ. She followed the blue jacket as far as she could, before it disappeared again. She stood on her toes, craning her neck as she tried to look over the walker heads in the direction in which she saw Violet last.

"Clementine!" she heard Louis yell from her right. "This way!"

She made her way to them, finding Louis and Violet engaged in holding off the dead, AJ standing between them.

"Run!" Violet yelled, spotting Clementine. "There's too many of them!"

She saw Violet slice a walker's head with her hatchet, allowing Louis to take AJ's hand and start running towards the road. Their eyes met, before Violet swung her hatchet, opening a walker's skull.

She didn't see the one coming at her from the back.

**Author's Note: There was no way I was leaving these characters out of the retelling. They're really good characters that I'd like to explore further. Reviews, follows and favourites are appreciated :D**


	5. A Walk to Remember

"Violet, behind you!" Clementine yelled, spotting the walker. She dropped her newly found bag and charged towards the other girl.

Before Violet could turn around, the walker had reached for her shoulders. She blindly spun around, swinging her hatchet, losing her balance as she did so. As she hit the ground, she looked at the walker, her mind a blank.

Clementine thrust her knife through the walker's eye, immediately killing it. She looked at the approaching walkers, realising that they if they didn't get out of that spot that instant, they weren't going to make it.

"Get up!" she shouted at Violet, shaking the girl out of her stupor as she held out her hand. "We don't have time!"

Violet pulled herself to the present, taking Clementine's hand. They stood side by side, hunting for the way out.

"That way!" Clementine pointed towards an opening.

Violet nodded, burying her hatchet in another head.

They took off along their path, ducking under the arms of the dead as they evaded their grasp. They kept running through the now thinning horde, growls assaulting their ears. The sun had almost set, making everything twice as hard to manoeuvre through.

"There's the road!" Clementine exclaimed, out of breath.

As their feet hit the asphalt, she doubled over, catching her breath. Her chest hurt and her legs felt like jelly. She glanced around, noticing Violet throwing up. The walkers weren't close anymore, but some of them were still limping their way over to the two of them. She saw her car down the road, surrounded by the dead. Her heart sank when she couldn't spot AJ and Louis. "Fuck! Where are they?"

"Louis!" Violet called out, hoping he would hear it.

Clementine ran her eyes over her surroundings, looking for any sign of the two.

"The forest," Violet said suddenly, looking towards the trees on the other side of the road. "If they're not here, then that's where Louis will have gone with AJ."

"Are you sure?"

"That's the place he'd go."

Clementine got the feeling that Violet was trying to make herself believe the words. She weighed her options. She could either wait near the road to see if she could spot them, a choice that seemed highly unlikely to pan out well considering the dangers involved, or, she could place her faith in a stranger. She knew better than to take someone she didn't know at their word, but the current situation didn't leave her with much of a choice.

"Clementine, we don't have time. Are you coming with me?"

"Let's go," she finally replied, hoping it was the right decision.

Violet made her way into the trees, gripping her hatchet in one hand as Clementine followed her. The commotion of the horde seemed to move further away with every step. The moon had come up now, shining its silver light over the ground for them to see their way. The wind blew between the trees, the leaves a whispering audience.

"Hey, thanks for saving me back there, and... I'm sorry you lost your bag," Violet said softly as they trudged along the trail.

Clementine nodded. She was plagued by worry about finding AJ, her mind a complete ruckus of thoughts. Losing the bag was incomparable to the feeling of being in the dark about AJ's safety.

"Louis probably took AJ to the forest house."

"Forest house?" Clementine inquired.

"It's where we stay. It's in the middle of the forest, so we call it that. If Louis couldn't find us, he'll return home and wait for us there."

"Where is this place?"

"It's a few hours away. It's pretty deep inside so you won't really stumble upon it on your own."

"So how did you know about it?"

"Marlon's uncle owns it, or owned it, when these things mattered-"

"Marlon?"

"Right. It's the four of us there- Marlon, Brody, Louis and I. We've been living there for quite a long time now. It's pretty nice."

"Oh," Clementine said.

Violet noticed the worry etched across Clementine's face, echoing her own worry for Louis. She wasn't sure whether Louis had really headed for the house, but it was their best bet at the moment.

The trees looked hauntingly beautiful, bathed in the light of the moon, the trail meandering around the trunks as they followed the lit path. The trail was too narrow for a car to pass through, making walking the only viable option through there.

"Do you want some water?" Clementine asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, I wouldn't mind some," Violet replied gratefully, stopping as the other girl pulled off her bag and reached inside for her bottle.

Clementine took a large sip, suddenly realising how parched her throat was. She passed the bottle to Violet and sat down on the fallen tree trunk by the side of the trail.

"That feels better," Violet said, sitting next to Clementine. "You want a break for a couple of minutes?"

"Yeah," Clementine replied, rubbing her aching legs.

"Worried about AJ?"

She nodded slowly.

"How do you know him?"

"We were all part of a group. He was born when I was eleven."

"His parents didn't make it...?"

"They didn't," Clementine replied, shaking her head. "They were good people."

"Well, he's a good kid too."

Clementine smiled at her, finding herself liking her.

"We should move. The house isn't very far now," Violet said, standing up.

They were about to resume their path when they heard faint voices carrying through the forest. The two girls quickly took cover behind the trunk, looking for the source of the sound. They spotted a beam of light moving over the forest ground a little way from them. They could make out two men, their guns slung across their backs. They didn't seem to be following the trail, but rather making their own path.

"... walkers. I don't know how long we're going to hold out," they heard the first man say.

"We will. Besides, I'm not going to bend over for that cunt. She's going to pay," the second man replied.

"You were always crazy, Jared, I'll admit it," the other chuckled. "But you're right, we won't let her get us too."

Clementine and Violet began inching away from the trunk, off the trail. As they moved backwards, Clementine stepped on a twig, snapping it.

The man named Jared suddenly stopped.

"What?" the other man also stopped, looking back at him.

"You hear that?"

"No." He paused. "You just heard a walker, kid. We don't have time for that right now. It's a long way to home."

Jared stood there for a couple of seconds, flashing the light around, before proceeding to the side of the other man. "Yeah, you're probably right. We should keep moving."

The girls stayed hidden until the men had long faded into the distance.

"That was close," Violet said as they emerged from the bushes. "This is happening way too many times in a day."

"Who were they?"

"I don't know. Whoever they were, it's just best to avoid them."

Clementine nodded, agreeing with her. "Let's leave while we have the chance," she said, returning to the trail. "So, where were you when the outbreak happened?" Clementine asked.

"Ericson's school. That's how I know Marlon, Brody and Louis."

"You've been together for that long?"

"Yeah. There used to be thirty-two kids. One of the teachers had stayed behind to watch over us." She sighed. "Now, it's just the four of us left."

"I'm sorry," Clementine sympathised.

"Thanks. It doesn't matter now, though. It's in the past," she responded.

They walked in silence, observing the night around them. It was starting to get colder now, causing them to shiver slightly. Their bodies ached from exhaustion but they kept moving.

Clementine felt her eyelids getting heavier, but every time the image of AJ popped into her head, she was jolted back to reality as if someone had poured cold water over her. Her thoughts kept drifting back to what would happen if she didn't find AJ. Her subconscious seemed to relentlessly bog her down with dreadful thoughts.

"There," Violet said, interrupting Clementine's thoughts. "We're almost there." The trail had ended some time ago, making Violet rely on her memory to get them to their destination.

As they neared, Clementine saw it. Just past the trees, was a small house surrounded by walls, a large gate between them. The walls were easily twice her size in height. They stepped out of the cover of the forest into a small opening leading up to the gate.

"Don't move!" she heard a yell.

Violet halted abruptly. "Stay here," she told Clementine. "Marlon? It's Violet!"

"Violet? Fuck, you're okay!"

Clementine followed the sound. She caught a glimpse of a boy holding a crossbow in his hands. He seemed to be standing on some sort of lookout tower along the inside of the wall. She watched him disappear behind the wall and appear at the gates, opening them.

Violet beckoned Clementine forward and they walked through the gates. The house had a front lawn, with a couple of tables and chairs sitting on the grass. Clementine couldn't make out much more than that in the moonlight. The house had two storeys with a sloping roof. She could see a dim orange light emanating from within the house through the window.

The boy called Marlon gave Violet a quick hug as they approached him. "Thank God, you're fine. Louis got that kid along and told me you were missing."

"They're okay?" Violet heaved a sigh of relief. "Fuck, that's good to hear. Marlon, this is Clementine."

Marlon wore a grey and white jacket with a red 'E' on the chest. His red t-shirt complimented his jeans. His blonde mullet gave him an almost punk-like look.

"AJ's here?" Clementine asked, unable to believe it.

"The kid? Yeah, he's here. They came a while ago. Louis said you guys got separated in the horde so he thought it was a good idea to come here."

Clementine felt the relief flood through her. "Where is he?"

"Right in there on the couch," he jerked his head in the direction of the house. "Louis is with him. He's... quite a handful."

"What do you mean?"

"Uh... it doesn't matter right now. Come see him," Marlon said as he led her to the house.

A small living room greeted Clementine. The couches were arranged in a U-shape around a small table. She could make out a record player in a corner, placed over a small cabinet. Stairs along the wall opposite to the door led to the upper floor. There was a kitchen to the left, sharing a wall with a bedroom. The windows were made along the wall running to the right as well on the right wall. A couple of candles cast an orange light in the room.

Louis was sleeping on one of the couches, a bowl in his hands while AJ sat in another, eyes half closed. He seemed to be wearing different clothes.

"I had some clothes his size in the closet, so I gave them to him. He refused to sleep or eat until he saw you, although, I think it's getting to him now," Marlon said as Clementine ran to AJ.

"Oh God. You're okay," she said, pulling him into an embrace. "You're okay," she repeated, as if trying to make sure it wasn't a dream.

"Clem?"

"Hm?"

"I'm sleepy."

She chuckled, her eyes tearing up slightly as it sank in that he was safe. "I thought I'd lost you."

"I'm okay. Louis looked after me."

Clementine pulled away from him, quickly wiping her eyes. Louis was still asleep on the couch, blissfully unaware of the proceedings around him.

"Let's get him to bed," Marlon said, smiling at the reunion. Clementine moved to lift AJ up, but Marlon stopped her. "I'll get him," he said as he easily picked him up.

"Here, take this," Violet handed Clementine a candle.

Clementine followed Marlon up the stairs. The upper floor revealed a short corridor leading to the left. There were two rooms along the wall opposite to the stairs and another on the left. Windows on opposite ends of the corridor gave them a clear view of the front as well as the back of the house. A few paintings decorated the wall.

"Could you get that?" Marlon asked, standing outside the door of the farther bedroom.

Clementine opened the door, entering a large room. Two beds hugged opposite sides of it, with a table and chair in between the beds and a window in the wall opposite to the door of the room and one to the left. A large closet took the place to the right of the door. A few wooden shelves occupied spaces on the walls around the room.

Marlon set AJ down on the bed, pulling the blanket over him.

Clementine stood beside his bed, looking down at him. "Good night, goofball," she said, planting a kiss on his forehead.

"Leave the candle on the table in case he wakes up," Marlon told her as she put down her bag by the bed.

Clementine softly closed the door behind them as they left the room, making their way downstairs. Louis was awake now, talking to Violet. He saw Clementine coming down the stairs.

"Hey, you made it back," he said, standing up. "I'm sorry I didn't wait there. I thought it would be safer here."

"Thanks for keeping him safe," Clementine said, giving him a hug.

"Whoa, okay," he responded, surprised. "No problem." He had a smile on his face.

"Brody asleep?" Violet asked, making herself comfortable on the couch.

"Yeah, she had a long day. I've got lookout till morning," Marlon replied.

"I bet. Anyone want some soup?" Louis asked.

Clementine felt all the exhaustion and relief weigh down upon her in the warm living room, as she sank into the couch. She closed her eyes, telling herself she only needed a few minutes to recuperate.

"Clementine?"

She woke up, startled. Opening her eyes, she noticed three sets of eyes on her.

"You're really tired. You should get some sleep," Violet said.

"I think we all should," Louis said, yawning.

"I put AJ to bed in your room, Louis," Marlon said, getting up from the couch.

"That's alright. Clementine can have my bed. I'll sleep in Violet's room."

"Thanks," Clementine told Louis, appreciating the effort the three of them were taking for her and AJ. She suddenly remembered she didn't have any spare clothes. "I don't have any other clothes."

"I have spare ones," Violet said.

"Anyway, it's good to have all of you back safe. Come see me tomorrow, Clementine," Marlon said, walking out to his lookout duty.

The three climbed the stairs to the rooms, with Violet asking Clementine to wait outside hers. She then went into her room, reappearing with some clothes in her hand.

"Here, these should fit you," Violet said, handing them over to Clementine.

"Thanks."

"Well, get some sleep. We'll talk tomorrow," Louis said.

Clementine opened the door to her bedroom, finding AJ fast asleep, curled up with the blanket wrapped around him. She placed her cap and weapons on the table next to her bed, before pulling off her clothes and tossing them in a corner. She wore Violet's clothes and walked over to the table, glancing at AJ, before she blew out the candle.

**Author's Note: That was a whole load of fun to write. New places, new chances! Reviews, follows and favourites are much appreciated.**


	6. A Different Morning

_Clementine stood in the corridor. Windows lined the wall along her right side, all the way to the end. The corridor was only lit by the glow of the orange fires raging outside. She took a step forward, peeking out of the window. She could hear screams in the distance when suddenly, the windows slammed shut, turning crimson red._

_She raised her hand, finding a knife clenched in it. She eyed the corridor. The walls appeared plain, save for a few pictures breaking the monotony. The door at the end of the corridor looked unassuming, however, it drew her towards it. She started walking, realising she was moving much slower than normal, as if time had slowed down._

_As her hand reached for the handle, she found herself in a dark room with a single window on the right. The fire outside illuminated a chair in the middle, a boy sitting on it._

_"AJ?" she asked, trembling._

_"Clem," the boy said._

_"AJ? Is that you?" she asked again._

_"Please save me," he pleaded._

_"Don't move!" She started running towards him, but no matter how much she seemed to run, the room seemed to stretch itself till she gave up, panting._

_A figure stepped out of the shadows from behind the boy. He slowly stepped towards him, placing a hand on his shoulder._

_"Have you come to rescue him?" he asked, his voice demonic as he locked eyes with her._

_She stood still, paralysed by fear. She tried fighting it, but her mind seemed to have relinquished control over her body._

_"Oh, how you come to this place again and again and again," he taunted, eyes glinting red with malevolence. "It's almost like you enjoy this."_

_She was unable to speak._

_"It haunts you, doesn't it? This place. McCaroll Ranch," the man emphasised the words._

_She breathed sharply, feeling her paralysis break. Looking at the man, she raised the knife to attack him._

_"Looking for this?" he said, showing her the weapon she had held in her hand seconds ago._

_She stared at her empty hand, bewildered._

_"And like every time, we will end the story the same way," he said mischievously, plunging the knife into the boy's stomach._

_"AJ!" she screamed._

Clementine woke up sweating, her chest heaving from the nightmare. She breathed deeply as the room came into focus. It took a second for her to realise where she was. She sat up, as the events of the last day streamed into her head.

She threw her blanket off and got up from the bed. The sun warmed the room through the windows. She could hear the birds chirping outside on the trees. AJ was still asleep. She watched the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest, glad that he was safe. The night before had been stressful, to say the least. She had never been separated from AJ after the McCaroll Ranch events and she planned to never let that happen again. Relying on complete strangers was a big red signal for Clementine, but she was relieved that her belief had been proven wrong.

She looked around the now well-lit room, observing things she hadn't before. The shelves were stacked with books, something she'd missed last night. A small pile of papers sat beside the closet. Picking them up, she noticed they contained handwritten musical notations. She wasn't adept at understanding the notes, having never played an instrument herself.

Clementine was more of a bookworm, having spent hours over inked pages when she was a child, drifting into another world, her world. Of course, that had come to an end when the dead rose. But it certainly did nothing to dampen her love for books.

She placed the pages back in their place, pulling out a random book from the shelves instead. It was on aliens and space warfare. She'd read a lot of children's story books but had never gotten the chance to read different genres. Maybe she could finally get around to doing that now.

She looked at AJ, finding herself hoping that he would enjoy reading as much as she did, though, she very much doubted that. He had never had the chance to experience a life away from simply living to see another day. He'd learned to fire a gun before he'd learned to read a complete sentence without mistakes. She chuckled as she realised that for the first time, she was worrying over the frivolous things in life.

Replacing the book, she pulled on her shoes. Violet's clothes were slightly large for her but they were warm. She was about to pick up her cap and weapons from the table but opted to let them be. She decided to go downstairs and find out if there was anything to eat, feeling her hunger stir.

She opened her bedroom door, coming face to face with the third room on the floor. Violet's room was down the corridor, the door still shut. She proceeded to walk down the stairs. As she descended, she saw Marlon and a girl she didn't recognise engaged in conversation.

"Hey, you're up early," Marlon greeted her. "Brody, this is Clementine," he told the girl sitting next to him.

They exchanged pleasantries as Clementine made herself comfortable on the couch.

"AJ isn't up yet?" Marlon asked.

"Nope. He looked really tired last night," Clementine replied.

"He did."

"Slept well?" Brody asked.

"Never better," she said. She felt a pang of hunger. "Is there anything to eat?"

"We do. Hold on, I'll get some," Brody replied as she went into the kitchen.

"Where are Louis and Violet?"

"Probably asleep," Marlon answered. "We don't have any rules for waking up early. Honestly, I'd like to sleep myself." He yawned.

Clementine recalled that he was on lookout duty for the night. "So, how does lookout work?" she asked.

"Well, we do shifts of eight hours each. Gives us enough time to rest and do other things as well. It gets fucking boring though some times. Other than the occasional deadhead, it's quiet."

"Are you complaining?" Brody asked as she handed a bowl of soup to Clementine. "It's a little cold but it tastes fine," she told her.

"No chance. I'd rather not have any fighting," Marlon replied, stretching himself.

Brody laughed. "Well, I'm off to the tower. There's another bowl for AJ, Clementine."

Clementine nodded as Brody gave Marlon a peck on the lips before disappearing out of the house.

"Louis told me about your idea to disguise yourself between the walkers. That was pretty clever," Marlon said.

"It usually works well. It got messed up yesterday."

"It's alright. We should try using it for our supply runs. It would make things so much easier."

"Are there even places worth raiding here?"

"Well... Hold on," he said, jogging to the room beside the kitchen and returning a few moments later with a folded paper in his hand.

"What's that?" Clementine asked, as he spread it across the table.

"It's a map of the surrounding areas," he replied. "I drew it over the past few months with a little help from actual maps and some exploration myself."

"That's where we are?" she pointed at the little house in the middle of the map.

"Right. This is the forest around us." He moved his finger over the trees he'd drawn. The forest seemed quite large, occupying a sizable chunk of the paper. "That's the stream. It's about a mile south-east of here. We get all our water from there."

"And this is where you hunt?"

"The hunting grounds, yeah. That's where we place our traps too. We have my crossbow and another bow. It doesn't give much, but then again, what does?"

"That's true."

"Louis and Violet took this path yesterday." He pointed at a line heading north. "They were supposed to check out places along this but Louis side-tracked." He sighed. "I've known him since my childhood and he's my closest friend, but goddamn, there are days when I just want to hit him on the head with Chairles."

"Why?"

"Cause he behaves like everything is a game. I should probably just be glad he shows up for half his lookouts." He fell silent as he stared intently at the map. "Sorry, I don't mean to burden you with that. It's just hard taking responsibility for everyone, you know?"

"I do," Clementine replied. "It's a fucking headache."

Marlon chuckled. "So, Louis said you and AJ were alone...?"

"Yep. It was just the two of us for a few years."

"That's a long time to be out there alone, looking after a kid. You seem to know your way around."

"I try. Shit gets rough but we've made it this far."

"You have," Marlon responded. "Surviving there, you must've done things you're not proud of."

Clementine shrugged her shoulders. "Who hasn't? We all do what we have to do."

"I hear you. So, I'm planning a supply run here," he placed his finger to the south-west of the house, a little beyond the river. "We haven't checked this place out yet. I could use your help there."

"What do you want me to do?" she asked, placing the bowl to her side.

"Well, I think you're pretty experienced. Violet and Louis told me last night how you walked them through that horde and saved Violet from the walker. We haven't really been outside much other than the occasional runs. And you look like someone who knows what they're doing. You could help lead it."

Clementine thought about AJ sleeping comfortably in the bed upstairs. She eyed her bowl, feeling much better after having something in her stomach. Strangely, she found herself not averse to the idea of staying at the forest house. Usually, she relied on her instincts and they always acted up in new places. Now, she couldn't understand why, but she felt safe here, a feeling that seemed to have evaded her of late. Something about the other kids made her feel comfortable.

"Clementine?"

She looked up at him, snapping herself out of her thoughts.

"You haven't said anything. Are you okay?" he continued.

"Sorry, I do that sometimes."

"Well, I can't stay awake any longer," he said, yawning through his words. "Let me know what you decide."

"Okay," she replied, watching as Marlon folded up the map and walked into his bedroom, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

She sat there for a moment before picking up her bowl and heading to the kitchen. It consisted of a counter running across the wall with a basin, along with a wall-mounted cabinet. A few bottles of water sat stacked in a corner and a couple of buckets in the opposite corner. A metal bowl occupied the middle of the counter, containing the soup Brody had left for AJ.

She scooped up some water from the bucket, rinsing out her bowl. Placing it upside down on the counter, she returned to the upper floor. Opening the door, she noticed AJ hadn't woken up yet. She spotted her bag by his bedside and carried it to her bed. Now was a good time to figure out what all they had left. A lot of their belongings were still in the car and it made no sense to try and retrieve them through the horde.

Plucking AJ's drawings out of the bag, she reminisced over the memories behind the pictures. Her favourite was the one where the two of them were standing under the trees. He'd made that the previous year when they were stranded in a shed in the heavy rain. She carefully piled them up on the side and pulled out his sweater. He would be needing it, now that the nights were getting colder.

Her hand closed upon the diary she'd found back at the store in the little town. She'd completely forgotten about it. She sat down on the bed and opened the book on her lap. The first page seemed to be the layout of a place. There was a lot of scribbling and arrow marks pointing in different directions with little notes made beside them. Turning the page, more writing stared her in the face. The next pages contained more maps, as well as names and statistics relating to weaponry. She finally closed the book, concluding that the diary belonged to some community.

"Clem?" AJ's voice interrupted her as she was putting the book away.

Clementine walked over to his bed as he stirred from his sleep. "Hey, kiddo," she said, sitting by his side. "You sleep well?"

"Yeah. I feel good."

"Me too. I haven't had a bed to myself in a long time." She looked at him. "You want some water?"

He nodded his head slowly, stretching himself. Clementine retrieved the bottle from her bag and handed it to him. He thirstily started gulping down the water.

"AJ, careful!" she warned him, pulling the bottle out of his hands. "You'll choke yourself."

He gave her a toothy grin, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He looked much more awake now.

"What? You think this is funny?" she asked as a smile played on her lips. She raised her hands in a mockingly menacing way and proceeded to tickle him. Both of them laughed as AJ squirmed and tried to hide under his blanket.

"Stop!" he pleaded finally, giggling.

The pair sat up, breathing heavily as they dissolved into fresh peals of laughter.

"That was fun," AJ told Clementine.

"I know. I thought it would be funny to do it," she replied, putting her arm around him.

"It was."

"There's some soup for you downstairs. Stay here, I'll get it," she told him, getting up from the bed. She made her way downstairs for the second time that morning. As she reached the living room, she peeked out of the window at the lookout tower.

Brody was sitting in the tower, the bow leaning against the short wall next to her. She had a book in her hand and an intense look on her face as she read through the pages. With not much to do during lookouts, reading seemed to be the past time, something that Clementine could definitely get behind.

Moving away from the window, she stepped into the kitchen. She'd forgotten to ask Brody where the bowls and spoons were. She opened the wall cabinets, hunting for them. All of the cabinets had multiple shelves, making it hard for her to see the top ones thanks to her short height. Lack of food and sleep through the years had rewarded her with a height barely above five feet.

She jumped a few times, finally spotting the bowls in one of the cabinets. She tried unsuccessfully to pull it out, her eyes then landing on her own washed bowl. She smacked her forehead, realising that she could've just given AJ her own bowl and spoon.

She poured some of the liquid into the bowl and started climbing the stairs carefully, so as to not spill from the overfull bowl. Voices from her room stopped in her tracks. Curious, she walked to the room, pausing in the doorway. Louis sat on the bed with AJ, telling him something that was making the child giggle. Clementine couldn't make out Louis' words but even if she could, she probably wouldn't have noticed. She was observing AJ, the way he had a smile on his face, the way he was talking to a laughing Louis, the way he seemed to be a kid, acting his age for once.

Clementine entered the room and gave the bowl to AJ, asking him what they were talking about. Violet, too, had heard the voices in the room and appeared at the door to investigate the source. The house felt alive, with four different voices painting the first of the memories of the new residents of the forest house.

It had taken time, but for the first time, Clementine wasn't AJ's protector. She was Clementine.

**Author's Note: Marlon and Brody were really underdeveloped characters. You can expect some more action from the badass duo! Reviews, follows and favourites are highly appreciated :)**


	7. The Forest House Dinner

The kids sat around the table on the front lawn, engaged in an animated conversation. Night had fallen, with the only source of light outside being the fire underneath the cooking pot. Laughter filled the air. Seldom had the forest house seen so much activity, the arrival of the newcomers making it almost inevitable.

"So, this guy picked up the rod and smacked the walker so hard behind the head, his fucking eyes flew out," Violet narrated, much to everyone's amusement.

"This story never gets old," Marlon laughed, clutching his aching stomach.

Clementine glanced at the glowing faces at the table, finally resting her eyes on AJ. He sat in the chair with his legs pulled up, giggling as he heard the stories.

"Hey, do you remember that time you ate a slug in front of Ms. Martin?" Brody asked Marlon.

"Fuck, that was weird. She was so creeped out," Violet recalled.

"Why would you eat slugs?" Clementine asked, disgusted.

Marlon leaned back in the chair. "Ms. Martin was our school nurse," he told Clementine. "She was getting on my nerves, this one day. Kept yelling at me for breaking stuff here and there. So, I went over to the gardens and found a slug, took it to the medical room and popped it into my mouth in front of her. Obviously, she wasn't very thrilled about it. I got quite a few canings that day."

She looked at him, confused. "But who eats slugs to piss someone off?"

"Definitely Marlon. I remember the weekly sessions with the school psychologist. Marlon's were nothing short of a disaster," Louis said.

"Were you guys in a school or a mental hospital?" Clementine asked.

"A mix of both, actually. It was called Ericson's Boarding School for the Troubled Youth."

"Troubled youth?" AJ inquired haltingly.

"Yep," Louis replied. "That means we were all messed up in the head. All of us were sent there when we were kids to deal with our... issues."

"What did you guys do to get sent there?" Clementine asked.

"A whole fuck load of things," Marlon replied. "Not very proud of them, to be honest."

"We used to have a dog there," Violet remembered suddenly. "Rosie. She was the headmaster's dog."

"I don't like dogs," Clementine admitted.

"Why would you not?" Louis asked her.

"I used to like them. Up until this one dog took a bite out of my forearm cause he was starving. I had to put him down by slicing his neck."

"That's... unfortunate. Rosie was different though. She was an amazing walker hunter," Marlon chuckled nostalgically. "We buried her out in the school backyard, last year."

"I still miss her," Brody said. She got up to stir the beans in the pot. "You guys remember that field trip we had? At the lake?"

"Oh yeah. I remember that very well," Louis replied. "You know what else I remember? Marlon asking me whether he should try and hold your hand," he told Brody, much to Marlon's chagrin.

"I didn't know this," Violet said, her curiosity piqued. "Leader Marlon needs lovey cues?" she taunted him.

Marlon went red in the face. "What about the time Louis peed himself in class?" he said, changing the topic.

Louis stared at him, wide-eyed. "Dude! You weren't supposed to tell people that," he said to his shrugging friend.

"You guys seem to have had a lot of embarrassing moments," Clementine observed, laughing.

"When you're in a school for troubled youths, embarrassment is second nature," Violet replied.

"Alright, that's enough with the finger-pointing business. Food is ready," Brody informed them.

AJ jumped out of his seat, trying to cop a peek into the pot.

"Careful there, AJ," Brody warned him when he got too close to the pot. "He looks really hungry," she told Clementine.

"He always is," she replied, smiling.

They gathered around the pot with their bowls, filling them up as much as they could. Returning to their seats, they shoved spoon after spoon of the food into their mouths. Two meals a day was the norm if they were to keep their food supply running for longer. That didn't, however, mean that their hunger was satisfied. It was just one of the things they had to learn to live with.

The cold was now starting to catch up with their hunger and the beans provided a warmth. Clementine tried to savour the food as much as she could, succumbing to gulping it down every few spoons. AJ had resorted to drinking the liquid straight from the bowl with no regards for any sort of table manners. Not that he'd know about them in the first place. Clementine had only taught him what she thought was prudent for him to know for survival.

"This is really good," Clementine told a smiling Brody. Murmurs of agreement went around the table as they continued to dig into their bowls.

"Okay, I feel much better now," Louis said as he placed his empty bowl back onto the table.

"Yeah, me too," Clementine responded. "What do you guys do after dinner?"

"Well, it's usually card games before we go to bed," Marlon said.

"You have cards here?" Clementine asked.

"Yep. We could play something right now," Violet suggested.

"What are cards?" AJ interrupted the conversation.

"They're... cards. There are fifty two of them together. It's called a deck," Clementine answered him. "You play different games with them."

"Okay," he replied. "How?"

"We'll start playing and you'll pick it up as we go along. That fine?"

AJ nodded his head, interested to see what the activity held.

"How about we make this interesting?" Louis suggested. He reached inside his coat pocket, pulling out the deck of cards.

"So, what are we playing tonight?" Marlon asked.

Louis locked eyes with him. "War," he uttered. "A game that has, for generations, been played by mankind. A game tha-"

Violet groaned. "So dramatic, Louis. Just explain the fucking rules."

"You're going to miss me when I'm gone, Vi," Louis told her. "Anyway, it's an easy game. I split this deck into.. how many of us here? Right... six. We each draw a card from the top of our decks. Highest card wins and gets to ask Clem a question." He smirked at her.

"Why me?" Clementine asked.

"Well, the four of us already know each other," Brody replied.

"Makes sense to me," Marlon added. "If you win, you can ask any of us a question," he told Clementine.

"Alright then, now that we're in agreement, let's begin." Louis split the deck six ways and handed everyone their cards. "And draw."

The six players flipped over the top cards of their deck, looking around to see who had won the round.

"Looks like I win." Clementine grinned.

"Damn, she hasn't even been here a day and she's already beating you at your game, Louis," Violet said

"Well, ask away Clementine," Louis told her.

"Why were you at Ericson's, Marlon?" she asked.

"Straight to the point. I like it," Louis commented.

"I had a lot of anger issues, I loved being a bully and I was in with all the wrong people. Plus, having rich parents to give me money whenever I wanted didn't help. They finally realised I was a lost cause and sent me off to be someone else's problem."

"Weren't you a kid back then?" Clementine asked.

"Yeah. I wasn't the greatest kid at all."

"That's our first question, ladies and gentlemen. Let us proceed to round two," Louis announced, prompting everyone to draw their next card.

"Tit for tat," Marlon said, having received the highest. "So, Clem, what's your greatest fear?"

She stared at her card before replying. "Having to put down someone I love. Again."

"You've done it before?"

"Yeah, it was a while ago. Definitely never want to do it again."

They wordlessly drew another card, choosing not to dwell further on the question.

"Team Violet it is," Violet said with a grin on her face.

"Fuck, this game is betraying me," Louis whined.

"Can't help if you suck at the game, Louis," she said. "How many people have you killed, Clementine?"

Clementine glanced at AJ, noticing his eyes on her. "As many as was necessary to survive," she curtly replied. "I don't kill for fun."

"That's good to hear," Marlon said. "How about we drop the cards? We can just ask questions in turns." He looked at Louis. "And that way, maybe my neglected friend here can ask a question or two."

"That would be great," Louis replied. "Today's just not my day." He shook his head.

"I'll go first," Clementine said. "What's the worst you've eaten?"

"Cantaloupe. Hands down, the nastiest thing in the entire universe," Louis answered without hesitation.

"What's that?" AJ asked.

"It's a fruit," Marlon replied.

"I once almost ate a human leg. We got caught by this group of cannibals who liked eating flesh from the living," Clementine recalled.

"Just when I thought the world couldn't be anymore fucked up," Brody said.

"Alright, my turn," Louis announced, rubbing his hands together. "What's the worst thing you've done?"

Clementine didn't anticipate such a question. She reflected back on her memories over the years. "I let a friend kill another friend," she sighed. "When it mattered, I couldn't help either of them. I just... chose to not do anything."

"That's.. unfortunate. So, what happened to your friend?" Marlon asked.

"He died."

"How?"

"Walkers got him."

"So, you've been with different groups then?" Brody asked.

"Yeah." Clementine paused. "I think this is enough for one night. I'm going to go upstairs." She rose from her chair and placed a hand on AJ's shoulder. "Let's go, AJ. It's time for bed."

"But I wanna stay up," he protested.

"No, it's time to sleep," she asserted.

"AJ, I think it's best if you go to sleep. It's going to be a long day tomorrow," Marlon chimed in.

AJ groaned before slowly getting up. He followed Clementine as they started heading to the room.

"That didn't go very well," she heard Louis say guiltily.

She stepped into the room, closing the door when AJ entered.

"Why did we leave?" AJ asked. "They were just asking questions."

"It was a lot of unpleasant memories. I don't want to talk about these things," she said, placing the candle she'd grabbed from the living room on the table.

"But why?"

"Because I don't want to keep thinking about such stuff," she told him, irking him in the process. He laid down on his bed, an annoyed expression forming on his face.

Clementine chose not to pursue the matter any further, instead, deciding to focus her attention elsewhere. She walked to a shelf and pulled out a book, staring blankly at the cover. Finally, she gave it up as a bad job and was about to throw the book onto her bed when a knock on the door roused her out of her thoughts. The door opened and Violet let herself in, a candle in her hand.

"Hey," Violet said. She looked around the room, spotting the book in Clementine's hands. "Three Musketeers," she observed. "They had a copy back at Ericson's too. It was one of my favourites."

Clementine didn't answer.

Violet's face fell. "Sorry about what happened at dinner. We didn't mean to ask insensitive questions like that. It's just... we haven't met anyone new in a while and we're not exactly a socially capable group. We can be stupid at times," she said. She stood, rooted to her spot, not perceiving anything else she could say. "I'll be downstairs," she blurted out, backing out of the room.

"Violet," Clementine said, her voice stopping the girl in the doorway. "Thanks."

Violet nodded, a small smile drawing across her lips. "So, you like reading?" she asked Clementine, a shyness creeping into her voice.

"Yeah, I used to read a lot," Clementine replied.

"There are a lot of good books here. Enough to keep you occupied for a while. I've got some in my room too."

"I haven't seen your room."

"You can see it right now," Violet suggested. "I mean, if you wanna see the books."

Clementine nodded. She headed to AJ's bed, pulling the blanket over him. He had already fallen asleep in the span of a few minutes. She briefly looked at his peaceful face before turning around and following Violet over to her room.

"It can get a little messy sometimes," Violet warned her as she swung open her room door.

The layout of the room was ever so slightly different than the other. The only change Clementine noticed in it was that the window was to her right, overlooking the back of the house. It was open, letting in a chill.

"Shit, forgot to close that," Violet muttered, hastily moving to close it.

There seemed to be more books than shelves in the room, piled up on the table as well as beside the beds.

"That's a lot," Clementine observed.

"Yep," Violet replied, placing the candle on the table.

Clementine caught Violet's eyes lock onto what appeared to be a photograph, lying on the table, for a moment before she turned back to her. "What's that?" Clementine asked.

Violet looked back at the photo, before reaching out for it and passing it to Clementine. There were two kids in it, seemingly twins. Their fiery red hair cascaded down their shoulders as they held each other's hands and laughed into the camera.

"That's Minnie and Sophie. They were at Ericson's with us." She smiled.

"What happened to them?"

"They died in a fight."

"Fight?" Clementine asked, handing the photo back to her.

"We were attacked by a group at Ericson's. That's the reason we're here. I don't know what they wanted but they completely destroyed the school. Marlon, Brody, Lou and I only made it out because we were defending from the balcony. We jumped out the back wall into the forest." She placed the photo onto the table and crossed her arms. "Ten of us one night and by morning, it was just the four of us."

"I'm sorry," Clementine sympathised.

"Minnie, Sophie and Tenn were closest to what I could call family, you know? They were the best kids at the school. And then they were fucking taken by a bunch of sick fucks." Violet fell silent as her hands started shaking.

Clementine knew what the other girl was feeling. She hesitantly pulled her into an embrace, soothing her. They pulled away as Violet hastily wiped away a stray tear.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to get all emotional like that," Violet said, turning her face away from Clementine.

"It's alright. It happens to all of us." Clementine sat down on the bed and stared at the dark outside the window. The room wasn't as cold as when they got here. The flame of the candle and the room reminded her of the time when the lights had gone out in the storm and her mother had lit candles as they sat talking on her bed.

"You like baseball?" Violet asked as she broke the silence, taking a seat on the bed.

"No. Why?"

"Your cap. It's a baseball team isn't it?"

"Yeah. My father gave that to me when I was a kid. When they went to Savannah for a holiday, he told me to hold onto it till he got back. That was the last time I saw him."

"It's a good way to remember him," Violet replied "God, I could really some use some chicken nuggets right now."

"I don't remember it, honestly. You know, complaining about food when I was a kid seems so stupid now." She chuckled.

The hour ticked by as the girls delved into different topics, revelling in a sense of a companionship. The two teenagers laughed as they shared their experiences and thoughts through varying discussions.

Clementine finally yawned, having lost herself in the moment. "I'm going to sleep." She got up and stretched her back. "I'll catch you tomorrow."

"Night," Violet said. "Lou and I can teach you to use the bow tomorrow," she offered.

"That'll be fun," Clementine said. She left the room and made her way down the corridor to her room. She could hear Marlon, Louis and Brody's voices downstairs. Entering the room, her footsteps carried through it as she made a stop beside AJ's bed to make sure he was comfortable. She blew out the candle and with a soft creak, slipped into her bed, hopeful about what was to come.

**Author's Note: Well, definitely one of my favourite moments in this chapter. Reviews, follows and favourites are appreciated as always :D**


	8. It's Time We Go

The quartet crouched in the bushes, waiting for their prey to arrive. Rabbits were a difficult target to hit for any novice, but that hadn't deterred Clementine. The notion of the hunting grounds had fascinated AJ and her when they went on their first hunt, nearly three weeks ago. She'd come a long way since then, learning how to handle the bow and trying it out on live targets.

Hunts took place twice a week, with the current one comprising of Clementine, AJ, Louis and Violet. Their first hunt was with Marlon, who was genuinely impressed by Clementine's aim. She wasn't perfect, but she understood how to shoot and most importantly, where to shoot. AJ had also tried his hand at the weapon, but it wasn't designed for children, making it impossible for him to pull back the string and hold the bow at the same time.

"Are you sure this is a good spot?" Clementine asked, bow in her hand as she peeked over the bushes at the little clearing between the trees. "Cause Marlon only showed me the ones by that side." She pointed her thumb in the direction behind her.

"Positive. You gotta trust me, Clem. I've been here a few times and gotten lucky," Louis replied. "You just gotta be patient."

Clementine ducked out of sight once again.

"You sure you're gonna be able to hit one? Or do you want me to take over?" Louis asked jokingly.

"Not a chance," she replied. "If anything, I'm better than you." She grinned at him.

"Oh, you're on."

Clementine once again scanned the area with her eyes. Then she saw it. The rabbit sat by the tree, nibbling at the grass, the morning sun shining off of its brown fur. It hadn't noticed her yet, allowing her to slowly get up and ready the bow. She placed the arrow against the string and pulled it back, aiming at the animal. Taking a deep breath, she released the arrow. They watched as it sliced through the air and found its mark.

"Well, gotta admit. That was a pretty damn good shot, although, it was just a sitting duck," Louis said as Clementine retrieved her prize.

"You're such a bad loser, Lou," Violet told him as she took the bow from Clementine.

"That was a really good one, Clem," AJ said. "I wish there was a smaller one for me to use."

"Thanks, AJ. We can try making one for you," Clementine said, smiling as his face lit up.

"That would be really cool."

Louis grasped Chairles in his hand. "It's time we get back. I could use some breakfast."

"Yeah, me too," Violet agreed. "We're running really low on supplies. We'll need to do a run soon enough."

"I spoke to Marlon last night and he said the same thing I did. That our last one wasn't very useful."

"At least we salvaged some meds. Food is just becoming difficult to come by and... I hope we don't have to move again."

Clementine sighed. "If we have to move, we will. There's no point holding out here until we're starving."

"I know. I just don't like being out there, without a place to go to, you know? It was shitty enough when we had to leave Ericson's."

"I get it. Let's discuss this with everyone."

They began making their way back to the house. Clementine and AJ had been staying there ever since Louis brought AJ there three weeks ago. She felt safe within the walls of the house and most importantly, she felt AJ was safe. She was proud of the way he was stepping up to do his share of the work. Seeing the other kids, he felt motivated to make sure he earned his place at the house.

The four kids walked their usual path through the hundreds of trees. Clementine had come to enjoy the walk after the hunts, basking in the rays of the sun. She loved the chirping of the birds. It made her feel like she was in a different world, away from all her troubles. However, she did dislike the cold. The nights were cold enough as it is, and now, the days were also starting to get chilly.

Hunts always took place in the morning, since the rabbits, if any at all, only turned up around the first few hours of daylight. Even that had reduced, making the catch of a rabbit for the day quite rare. The traps also sat untouched. Clementine wasn't a morning person, having overslept once through a shift, only to be roused by a red-eyed Louis. She didn't particularly enjoy waking up to the cool mornings, but the fact that she liked hunting made her push herself.

The few weeks had passed by in the blink of an eye. Clementine and AJ found themselves getting used to the idea of waking up in a bed every morning, smiling at each other across the room from their beds, knowing that another day awaited them. An event they enjoyed was the dinnertime. Everyone would ensure that they sat together, recounting their daily activities. Not that any of them had something extraordinary to share, but quite to the contrary, everyone looked forward to discussing their mundane lives, almost as if the outside didn't matter.

"Something on your mind, AJ?" Clementine asked, noticing the downcast look on his face. The two of them were trailing behind Violet and Louis, who were engaged in a conversation.

"It's just... what you and Violet said. Will we have to leave this home?" he asked

"Do you want the truth?"

He nodded slowly.

"It's not looking good," she told him. "Supplies are very low and we can't stay here if we don't find anything soon."

"But I don't want to leave. I feel safe here."

"I feel safe too." She stopped walking and crouched in front of him. "It feels good to have a roof over our heads. But it doesn't always work out. We'll figure out a way to make it work somewhere else, if we have to, okay?"

"Can't we try to stay?" he asked.

Clementine shook her head. "It's not that easy. The winter will set in too, soon enough, and we can't be caught here without any food or water."

AJ nodded again. "At least all of us will be together."

"They're nice people, aren't they?" Clementine chuckled.

"They are. Louis said if we can find a piano, he can play music for all of us."

"Let's hope we do then," she said, standing up. "I wouldn't mind some nice songs."

They continued along their path. Clementine loved the way the fallen leaves crunched under her feet. She used to love running over them as a kid when her parents took her out for picnics.

"Do you hear that?" Louis asked as he halted suddenly.

They all strained their ears to listen to what had made him stop. The sound was unmistakable and all too familiar.

"Walkers," Violet said, pulling out her hatchet out of habit.

Clementine focussed on the sound. The growls seemed to be coming from further along the path. The trees made it difficult to see what was ahead of the turns.

"If there aren't too many, we can take them on," Louis suggested.

"We can. Let's find out how many there are before we show ourselves," she replied.

They steadily made their way to the source, taking care to not make a sound themselves. Any attention drawn to them was inviting an encounter with death. There were nearly half a dozen walkers scattered on the path ahead of them. They ducked into the bushes in the nick of time, almost having been noticed by the undead.

"That's a lot of them," AJ commented.

"Yep," Louis agreed. "More of the stragglers from the horde probably. What's our plan?"

Clementine thought about it for a moment. Judging from the growls, there appeared to be more walkers off the trail as well. She didn't want to pick a fight with them where there wasn't enough open space to move around. "It's better if we kill these walkers and run through here. We'll attack them head on," she answered.

"What can I do?" AJ asked.

"You're my eyes. Warn me if one of them sneaks up behind us."

She dropped the rabbit onto the trail, drawing her knife as she led them towards the walkers. The walkers had seen them by now and were slowly moving over to them, arms outstretched.

Clementine kicked the closest walker in the knee with all the strength she could muster, sending it straight to the ground. She heard a satisfying crunch as Louis brought Chairles down onto a walker's head. Her knife quickly pierced the fallen walker before she aimed for the second one's head. In one motion of her hand, the knife went through its skull, silencing it immediately.

With the road now clear, Clementine dashed back to the rabbit. She hastily slung it over her shoulder before taking off down the trail with the rest of the group. Walkers were now slowly ambling towards them, giving them a short window to make their way back home.

The four of them sprinted away from the dead, stopping only once they were sure that the walkers were out of sight. They stood quietly, catching their breath before proceeding to the house.

"There's too fucking many of them around. We should be careful," Violet said.

"The horde was pretty big," Louis recalled.

"It's not safe to roam around out here anymore. We could be overwhelmed at any time," Clementine said. "Let's get back home and we can figure out what to do."

They brisked up their pace, only relaxing once they sighted the black gates of the house. Clementine handed the rabbit to Brody as she opened the gates to let them in.

"Oh, thank God. There's some food at least now," Brody said, looking the animal over.

"Most of the spots were empty. We got lucky at one though," Clementine told her.

"I'll go clean this up. Marlon's doing a food count right now. From what I saw, we've only got a few days' worth remaining."

"Fuck. We'll figure it out," she told Brody. "I'll be up in the tower." She climbed up the ladder to the top of the tower. Placing her elbows on the wall of the tower, she leaned against it. Her eyes gazed at the trees, while her mind slipped away into her thoughts.

"Mind if I join you?" she heard a voice behind her.

Clementine turned her head to find Marlon standing near the tower, looking up at her. "Come on up."

He leaned back against the wall once he'd made his way up, eyes pointed towards the forest. "I take it the grounds are dry?"

"Barely caught one. It's not going to keep us going for long."

"Fuck. The walkers are growing here too. I killed four of them this morning alone." He pointed at the corpses lying near the treeline. "Even the house isn't safe if they keep increasing."

"How much food do we have left?" Clementine asked.

"Five days maybe? Six, if we stretch it thin."

"Shit." She glanced back at the house. "We can't stay here in the winter if we don't have anything. We have more chances if we look for a different place while we have the resources."

"I know." Marlon sighed. "I had the same thoughts. I don't know how I'm going to keep everyone safe out there."

"You don't have to do it alone. We all look after each other."

Marlon smiled at her. "Thanks, Clem."

She smiled back at him. "Where do you think we should go?"

"We go along the stream. We need water and even if we find a good place, it won't be useful if there's nothing to drink."

"That's true," Clementine agreed. "We could find a place close to water. Something like this."

"There's not too many places this well-hidden, but yeah, something like this."

"We should move at the earliest. We can't risk another failed supply run."

"I was thinking tomorrow. We have the entire day today to talk to everyone and figure out what to take. We could leave in the morning."

"That's probably the best. We can raid something along the way," Clementine suggested.

"Let's hope so." He paused. "Hey, could I ask you something?"

"Yeah?"

"How did you keep AJ safe? I mean... it's getting really difficult looking after everyone. And after Ericson's... fuck... I'm really worried something will happen again."

Clementine looked at the distressed boy. "What happened back there wasn't your fault. You can't prevent everything. You just have to do the best you can." She glanced back at the house again. "You know, when I was with AJ out there, I had no idea what I was doing. I just made decisions and hoped they were right."

"That's kind of what it feels like here. All the decisions fall to me and I don't know whether I can make the right ones."

Clementine laid her hand on Marlon's shoulder. "You're doing a kickass job. You're a good leader and we're lucky to have you."

Marlon gave her a grateful look. "I appreciate that," he told her.

"Come on, now. We should go talk to the others."

"Give me a second," he said.

Clementine climbed down the ladder and started walking across the front lawn. She paused halfway, turning around. Marlon was rubbing his eyes, his back to her. Her eyes fell upon the gates and the forest beyond it. They would leave tomorrow in search of a better home to survive the winter. She wondered what lay in store for them beyond the safety of the forest house. Taking a deep breath, she disappeared into the house.

**Author's Note: As like every chapter, hope you enjoyed this one too! Reviews, favourites and follows are appreciated.**


	9. The Journey Onwards

The sun had just risen, bathing the house in its light. Clementine and Louis stood in the kitchen, leaning against the counter as they sipped water. Marlon and Brody were fighting in the living room over what was important enough to take.

"Were they always like this?" Clementine asked, watching them nonchalantly.

"The stress gets to them sometimes," Louis answered. "They're a perfect match for each other, you know?"

"They look like it." The two of them watched as Brody stormed back to her room, leaving Marlon holding a book in his hand. He gave the two observers an exasperated look before following her.

"So..." Louis hesitated, running a hand through his hair, "... have you ever had a boyfriend?"

Clementine raised an eyebrow.

"I-I mean I've never had one either," he covered up hastily. "Just asking... for general knowledge."

"You've never had a boyfriend?" Clementine chuckled.

Louis gave her a confused look. "What...?" Then it struck him. "Oh. Not that way. I meant... you know what I mean."

"I haven't. Didn't give it much of a thought."

"Oh, okay. No, that's cool," he replied awkwardly.

The bedroom door opened and Marlon came out. "You guys ready?"

The both of them shook their heads.

He gave them an annoyed look. "Then why are you sitting around here like a bunch of old ladies? Go! Why the fuck are you guys so calm?"

Louis and Clementine left the kitchen without another word.

"He seems really mad. I think the Brody argument got to him," Clementine said.

"Definitely agree with that. We should get to packing up our stuff either way. I'll see you in a while," Louis replied, heading to his room.

Clementine opened her door. AJ sat on the bed, a book in his hand. He was reading aloud, struggling with the words.

"Hey there, goofball. What are you reading?" she asked.

"Something about beans and cows and giants. It doesn't make any sense. How does a tree grow into the clouds?" he asked.

"It's just a story. It's not real. It's a fairy tale meant to entertain kids."

"It isn't whatever you said right now." He put the book down. "Are we leaving?"

Clementine nodded. "We are. I came up here to pack up all our stuff. We should be leaving within an hour."

"Maybe we could give it a few days more?"

She sighed. "We spoke about this. There's nothing here for us. We can find a new home with everyone else out there."

"I don't think we should. We already have a home here and we shouldn't let go."

"Look, I promise you we will find a home, okay? You trust me, right?"

"Yeah. But-"

"I promise we will. You're going to have back me up here, kiddo. I can't do this without you."

AJ nodded. "I'll help you, Clem."

"Good." She smiled at him. "Go see if the others need any help. I'll get our bags ready."

She reached for her bag, putting the gun in. The bag already had a few things so she was going to have to use the space properly. Besides, she couldn't make it very heavy either. She put her cap on, adjusting it slightly before picking up AJ's drawings from her bedside and carefully placing them in. There was no way she was going to leave them behind.

Louis had offered his bag to them since he had two and AJ's was still in the car. She placed some clothes in AJ's bag. Wondering if she should, she chose to take along a book for AJ too. It didn't matter if he liked reading or not. He still had to learn how to.

She finished packing the rest of their bags. There didn't seem to be anything else. Her eyes ran over the room as she was suddenly filled with a sense of unease. Unease about having to leave this place. It was the closest to a home she'd had in years. She knew leaving was the only option but now that the time had actually come, it didn't feel comfortable anymore. Nonetheless, it had to be done.

Picking up their bags, Clementine made her way downstairs. She glanced around the house, as if taking in as much of it as she could.

Marlon, Brody and Louis sat on the couch, talking.

"Packed up?" Marlon asked her. "I think we're all good to go here. We can leave as soon as AJ and Violet come down."

"He's up there?" Clementine asked, putting the bags down and sitting.

"Yeah," Louis answered. "He came to see if we needed any help. Violet had a few things to do so they're finishing those."

"I'm done," they heard Violet's voice coming down the stairs. AJ was with her.

"We have everything. We're well rested too. Let's go before it gets any later. We'll be able to cover more ground this way," Marlon said.

"I'm going to miss this couch more than anything," Louis said.

Clementine chuckled. "Idiot," she said playfully, earning a wink from the boy. The six kids lifted up their share of the luggage and made their way across the front lawn towards the gates.

Marlon turned around, giving the house a final glance. "Wherever you are, Uncle Gary, thanks for this," he said.

AJ, too, glanced back at the house one last time. A hand on his shoulder guided him forward.

"How's AJ doing?" Brody asked Clementine as she caught up with her. The six of them weaved their way through the trees. The stream wasn't very far off but the trail wasn't the most visible one in the world. However, after making several trips there, it had become imprinted into everyone's minds.

"I don't think he was very happy with leaving. But he understood it was necessary," Clementine answered her. "He's never been around people he could talk to before. I think he likes it."

"He sure does. I can't imagine a child having to grow up in something like this."

"It's not the best environment for sure," Clementine agreed. "But he's doing well so far. He even saved me from a walker once."

"He did? He looks tough as hell. And then there's us, nostalgic about the good old days."

Clementine laughed. "It's good to be around people, you know? I wasn't sure if I wanted to stay at the forest house. But I'm glad I did."

Brody reached for Clementine's hand and squeezed it. "I'm really glad, too. AJ seems to enjoy talking to Louis and Violet."

"He does. They're really good with him."

"You know, I've seen a change in them ever since you and AJ arrived."

Clementine gave her a questioning look.

"I'm not very close to Louis and Violet. I mean Louis and Marlon are really close friends but I'm not." Brody paused. "Violet started pushing everyone away after what happened at Ericson's. Minnie, Sophie and Tenn's deaths started to get to her. She kept to herself after that. Until you and AJ came along. I haven't seen her open up to anyone so quickly.

"Louis also never tells anyone about things that bother him. He just... keeps it to himself and hopes no one notices. And the attack really affected him. He seems really happy around you and AJ. And he adores the kid."

Clementine had seen AJ plenty of times with Louis and Violet. They appeared to be getting along really well. She suddenly found a smile on her lips.

"So, what's your plan when the walkers are gone?" Brody asked.

"What do you mean? They're not going anywhere."

"There has to be a time when this is all over, right? At least, that's what I tell myself. I'd definitely take a car and drive up a mountain road. Look at the whole world from up there."

Clementine knew it would most probably never happen. "I'd just get a place to stay so I don't have to travel anymore. I'm done with my share of moving around."

"Well, I guess that's what you want."

The familiar sound of the flowing stream told them they were close to their first marker. The stream bank appeared just beyond the treeline. It was a good thirty feet to the stream. Even though it was late morning, the wind still felt cool against their skin.

"AJ, close your jacket. We can't have you falling sick out here," Clementine said as they stopped near the water. Other than a couple of walkers, the place was quiet.

"Alright, that's the way we head," Marlon said, pointing upstream. "We'll walk alongside the stream for now." He started leading them on their way.

Clementine pulled out her knife and swung it at the walker in their path. It embedded itself in its skull.

"One less walker in the world," Louis commented as Clementine sheathed her knife. "Hey, look at this guy." He strode towards the side.

The walker was stuck between two trees, trying to grab Louis as the boy approached it. It could easily have freed itself by stepping back but, fortunately, brains were not their forte.

"Anyone want to play whack-a-mole? We got a really easy target here," Louis asked them.

"Louis, that's a walker, not a game. Kill it and let's move on," Marlon replied.

"Oh, come on, be a sport. Here, Clem, you want to try?" He held out Chairles.

Clementine glanced at AJ. "I think it's better if we don't get too close to the walkers without any reason." She noticed the disappointed look on Louis' face as they turned away from the walker.

"Why didn't you take Chairles?" AJ asked.

"Because it's a walker. I don't want any of us getting too comfortable around them. That's when people start getting bit."

He nodded. "How far are we going to go?"

"Could be a couple of days. We'll have to find a different area since almost everything is empty here."

"I still don't have a gun."

"I know, kiddo. We don't have a spare one right now. But if we find one, it's yours, alright?"

AJ nodded again.

"In the meantime, you have that knife Marlon gave you. If you ever get into that situation, I've taught you to use it. I hope you never need to, though," Clementine said.

"Yeah, I can use a knife. I just... like a gun more than a knife."

"Careful. Don't let people hear you say that or you'll be in Ericson's with us," Violet said, joining in. "All of us were just fucked up there, honestly."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the teachers weren't the greatest. I mean, they kinda resorted to caning us for anything we did wrong. It was up to the kids to help each other. That's why I miss them..." Violet trailed off.

"How is school like?" AJ asked, curious.

"Imagine Clem teaching you math and science for the entire morning and afternoon. That's school," Violet said.

"Sounds shit."

"Language!" Clementine gave him a stern look. "And AJ likes my teaching."

"Well... I like your teaching but I don't like what you teach."

"That's a fair point," Louis commented from the back. "I hated school, honestly. The only thing I liked were the sports events. Marlon and I were good athletes." He looked proud.

"And there he goes, bragging about the same shit again." Violet shook her head.

"So, how was Ericson's like?" Clementine asked, adjusting her cap again. Despite the weather getting cooler, the walk was still making her sweat.

"We learnt normal stuff like you did. The only difference was it was a boarding school and we had a school psychologist who tried to solve our problems," Violet replied.

"And holidays?"

"We did have long holidays. But most of us just stayed back in school. It was easier than to go back home to everything."

"Yeah. All four of us used to stay back. Only a handful of us went home," Louis added. "What about you? Where'd you study?" he asked Clementine.

"I was in-"

"Guys, walkers ahead," Marlon said, spotting them a distance away.

Clementine strained her eyes, spotting the slow figures moving about beside the stream. Marlon definitely had good eyesight if he could spot them from that far away.

There were at least dozens of them and there was no way they could continue down their path unless they were interested in becoming a meal. They deviated from the road, returning to the cover of the forest. Walking slowly, they tried to tried to conceal their presence from the dead.

"Do not make a sound," Marlon reminded them again, crouching in the bushes.

"Let's not pick a fight," Clementine said. "The noise will draw the rest in. And fighting in tight spaces will get us killed.

"Agreed," Violet said. "We can go through there." She pointed at an opening.

They pushed through the trees, finally adding enough distance between them and the danger. Tiredness had begun to settle in now. Their limbs ached from traversing through the uneven terrain. Carrying all their belongings made it no easier. Clementine almost regretted taking a book along with her. They ultimately came to a still a few minutes later.

"What now?"

**Author's Note: Things have changed now for the kids. Stay tuned to see what happens next ;) Reviews, favourites and follows are appreciated.**


	10. Nine Lives

"I think we should call it a day. It's getting dark already and there's no point moving around like that," Marlon told Brody.

He was right. The sun was disappearing fast enough and they couldn't continue any further. Not without wasting precious resources and risking their lives.

"I second that," Louis agreed with him. "All we need is a place now."

Trees surrounded them, their thick brown trunks obscuring most of their vision. Spending the night in such an area where they had absolutely no cover from danger wasn't particularly idealistic.

"How about over there?" Violet pointed her finger to the right. They followed it to a small clearing where some of the trees had fallen over, allowing for a space that could hold them for the night.

They dropped their bags and sat down on the ground, massaging their legs.

"Holy shit, this feels good," Violet said, rubbing her calves.

"It does," Clementine responded, doing the same. "Your legs hurt, AJ?"

"A little." AJ laid down on the ground.

"We should get a fire going before night falls. I'd rather we get warm now because it's better not to light a fire in the night. Someone could spot us," Marlon said, his hands on his waist. His eyes moved over his surroundings. "Louis, you're with me. We'll go find some wood."

Louis groaned, before lifting himself off the comfortable ground and picking up his favourite weapon. "Come on. Let's get this done with."

"I want to go too," AJ said, looking at Clementine for her permission.

"Uh…" She glanced at Marlon who nodded. "Okay, no wandering though."

"I promise!" he told her enthusiastically, following the two into the forest. They disappeared amongst the trees within seconds.

Their camping spot seemed relatively safe. The trunks provided a slight cover, just enough to hide them from a first glance. They'd have to appoint lookouts through the night, but they could always do short shifts between the five teenagers. "I hope they don't go too far. It's not safe," Clementine said to the two girls.

"Marlon's there. He'll keep it safe. We should figure out the food till then," Brody replied, opening her bag.

They dug through their food supply, debating on how much they should pull out for the night. Without a doubt, walking all through the day had made them hungry but they still had to abide by the rations. They finally settled on three cans to be divided amongst them.

The boys returned by then, carrying a small pile of wood and twigs. Placing them in the middle of the opening, Marlon set about lighting the fire with the flint and pocket knife he had. They watched as the twigs caught fire, before he placed the larger pieces of wood into it, setting them ablaze too.

They huddled around the flame, stretching their arms in front of it, trying to fend off the cold. Brody opened the cans with her clean knife, passing them around, along with a few spoons. Clementine gave the spoon to AJ, allowing him the first bite. The hungry boy shoved the spoon into his mouth and a look of satisfaction spread across his face.

Marlon and Brody were sharing a can, leaving Violet and Louis one between them. Silence prevailed in their temporary sanctuary as they chewed on their food. No one seemed to be in the mood for any conversation, understandably enough.

The spoons softly clanged against the metal containers as the survivors tried to scoop up any remaining morsels they could. Waste was not a problem they ever faced.

Before long, dinner was over. Disappointed faces stared at the empty cans, hoping for some more. But they knew better than to give into their desires.

"I'll keep first watch," Clementine declared as they piled up their cans.

The others murmured their assent, laying down as close to the fire as they could. AJ laid his head on her lap. Leaning against the trunk kept her comfortable. Everyone seemed to be asleep the moment their head touched the ground.

She was sleepy herself but she had to keep herself up. The stars had come out now, her eyes gazing at them. She loved the way they lit up the night sky. They looked beautiful, giving her a sense of comfort. She placed a hand on AJ's shoulder, hoping he wasn't feeling too cold.

Soon enough, the fire looked like it was dying. She reached for her bag, careful not to wake AJ. Pulling out her flashlight, she kept it by her side in case she needed it. Her eyes were now fixated on the glow of the flame.

Before she knew it, her eyes involuntarily closed. Every time her head dipped forward, she jerked awake. Finally, she placed her head against the trunk and let the tiredness take over her.

* * *

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty." The voice cut through Clementine's sleep. Her eyes flickered open, trying to adjust to the sudden light. Her hands landed on her lap, finding AJ missing.

"AJ?" she asked, sitting up suddenly. She looked up to find Louis standing there, hand raised towards her. From the looks of it, the day had just begun.

"He's helping Brody," he replied as she took his hand and stood. "You sure look like you could use some more sleep."

"Yeah. Guess I was a little more tired than I thought." She stretched herself. "Who took watch after me?"

"I did," Violet replied. "I woke up a little while after all of us slept. I found you sleeping so I didn't wake you up again. I picked Lou after me."

Louis swung around Chairles. "So, how far do you think we are?" he asked.

"A good distance from home," Clementine replied, yawning. "We walked through most of yesterday and we'll do the same today."

"Marlon said that the town should be up ahead."

"Yep. That's the first place we'll check out. Let's see if there's anything for the taking."

They cleared up the rest of the area, making sure to bag their belongings. Clementine headed over to AJ, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah," AJ replied. "It got a little cold at night."

"I know. We'll hopefully be within walls by tonight."

"We should be," Marlon replied. "If we keep yesterday's pace, we should be at the town by late afternoon."

"Are we going to find a place there?" AJ asked.

"For the night? We'll need to," Clementine replied. "We need to see what we can find first."

"We'll decide once we get to the town," Marlon said before the discussion could continue. "Let's move. We don't want to lose any more daylight."

They picked up their bags and weapons and began walking in a single file through the forest. Their surroundings looked much better without any walkers in the picture. They trudged through the winding route, eager to find refuge away from the windy nights.

They picked up the pace whenever they could and slowed down whenever they heard walkers, keeping their distance. It wasn't the safest road but it was the fastest and with their situation, speed was a necessity.

Clementine had had another nightmare the previous night. She chose to keep it to herself rather than worry the others. The nightmares had stopped when she was at the forest house, seemingly only triggered by the situation she was in. She felt the familiarity of the uncertainty of their current journey. Not knowing where they were going to end up made her feel no more comforted than all the times before.

The kids resorted to talking to help pass the time. Interactions seemed to come easily to them, including AJ to an extent. His curiosity was well received by the others and all of them were more than willing to answer any of the questions that they could.

The sun rose to its highest and then began its downward descent before the group arrived at a road. The forest had thinned out slightly, leading them there. The town was nowhere to be seen and tempers were beginning to fly.

"Well, where is the town?" Violet asked, looking around.

"I have no idea," Marlon said. "From what I made of the map, we should have seen it by now."

"Fucking hell. Are you sure you read it right?"

"I'm not stupid. I know how to use a fucking map." His voice was louder now.

"Clearly not."

Marlon gave her a glare before eyeing the road. "We'll go along the road. Stay off of it though. We don't need people spotting us."

They proceeded to follow him. Their speed had slowed down since the start of the day. Keeping up that pace without a break was taking a toll on them. They'd refrained from stopping since the quicker they made it to the town, the quicker they could call it a day and rest their feet. That, however, did not appear to be on the cards.

"Do we have any idea where the stream is?" Louis asked.

"Should be that way." Clementine pointed a finger to their right. "There's no way we'll find it by nightfall though." Sticking to the stream had been rendered impossible ever since they spotted the walkers. There were too many of them lurking around and it made no sense trying to find their way back there now.

"I'm guessing this is our only way forward now..?"

She nodded.

"Fucking walkers," Violet grumbled. "We have no idea where we are. We need to fi-" A gunshot disturbed the group's conversation. Their instincts kicked in as they jumped to cover behind the trees.

"Where the fuck did that come from?" Brody whispered, peeking out.

"I don't see anyone," AJ said.

"AJ, keep your head down!" Clementine dropped her bag, pulling out her gun.

"What do we do?" Louis asked, clutching Chairles. His hand shook slightly.

"Not get shot, first," Violet replied. "We need a plan."

They stayed in their cover, hoping that they wouldn't be noticed if someone was out there. Before any of them could reply, another shot rang out followed by a barely audible yell.

"It's coming from inside the forest," Clementine said. "I don't think it's for us. It doesn't sound close."

"We should go investigate," Louis said.

"I don't think we should. We don't know what to expect," Marlon said.

"Look, I'm going whether you guys come along or not. Someone could need our help."

Marlon sighed. "Okay," he replied, giving in. "Let's go. We don't interfere if it isn't safe." They swiftly moved through the trees towards the sound. A third shot gave them a precise direction to follow.

"There!" Louis yelled as they spotted a small group of walkers bunched up around a tree, trying to grab something further up. They noticed the teenaged boy in the tree, a gun in his hand.

"Let's get them," Clementine said, placing the gun in her waistband and pulling out her knife. Before the walkers could realise they were under attack, they had been disposed of. The corpses lay on the ground as the six of them looked at the boy.

"Thank you," the boy said, climbing down. His checked jacket was zipped up. He wore black pants that looked faded with use. His jet-black hair was pulled back. "I didn't expect anyone to be here."

"What happened?" Marlon asked.

"I was out here when they came out of nowhere. There were too many for me to take alone so I climbed up the tree."

"Your gun must have attracted every walker nearby," Clementine said. "We should leave before more of them arrive."

"Too late," Louis said. "They're here."

The walkers announced themselves with their growls, their feet shuffling over the fallen leaves. There were more of them than the group could care to count.

"Shit! Move!" Violet urged the others to run.

"There's too many of them! It's like they're fucking appearing out of thin air!" Marlon glanced back as they sped on. The more walkers they left behind, the more seemed to appear ahead.

"Which way are we heading?" Louis yelled.

"Back to the ro-" Violet's failed to spot the root in her path. Her foot got caught in it, sending her crashing to the ground. "Fuck!" She winced as the pain shot through her leg.

"Shit. Can you stand?" Clementine asked, kneeling beside her as the girl sat up.

Violet made an effort to get up, hissing as her feet sent more waves of pain. "Fuck, I can't."

"Louis, help her up!" Clementine pulled out her gun again, hoping they had time. She fired at the closest walker, making a hole in its forehead.

"We can make it to my place," the new boy said, rushing to Violet's side to help her up.

Clementine carefully fired at the walkers, stepping backwards as she covered their retreat. An arrow flew past her and silenced the walker she'd missed.

Marlon loaded up his crossbow, aiding Clementine. He sent another arrow whizzing at his next victim.

"Go!" Clementine fired a last shot and turned around, rushing with Marlon to catch up with the others.

"That way!" The new boy guided them towards his house.

Scores of walkers were on their trail and they couldn't go any faster with Violet incapacitated. She groaned in agony every time her foot hit the ground. Louis and the boy tried to help her walk as fast as they could.

"We're not going to make it!" Clementine took another shot at the dead. "We need to go faster!"

"Fuck it!" Louis looked at the new boy. "Help me lift her up."

"What….." Violet suddenly found herself off the ground, held up by the two boys.

"Move now!"

They desperately legged it towards the house. The walkers lagged behind as they put more distance between them. Finally, they were far enough that the growls had faded away.

"Up ahead," the boy said. It was a log cabin surrounded by trees, a clearing in the front. It had a sloping roof with a small chimney running along the side. A lone front window broke the monotony of the wood.

The two of them let Violet down. Louis helped her up to the stairs of the cabin deck as the others followed suit. The boy opened the door, letting them in.

The cabin was by no means, large. It was simply a room with a smaller room towards the left, presumably the toilet. A few vessels sat on the floor, next to the small logs by the side of the fireplace. A bed seemed to be the only furniture in the room, stacked with a few blankets. A few bags sat crowded in a corner. A book and a pen lay on the bed.

He led Violet to the bed, making her lie down. "Where does it hurt?"

Violet pointed at her ankle, breathing sharply as he felt her wound. The boy fished a bandage out of his bag and proceeded to tie it around her foot.

"You need to get some rest. You're not going to be able to move around until the foot's healed," he told her.

The others had put down their belongings and were rubbing their aching limbs, feeling the adrenaline wear off. This had been too close for anyone's comfort. One small mistake could have cost any of them their life.

"Thanks," Violet said.

"What's your name?" AJ asked, observing the boy.

"Right. We didn't have time to introduce ourselves. I'm Aasim."

**Author's Note: I actually like how well this turned out. Reviews, favourites and follows are appreciated! :D**


	11. Too Dark to See

Their new host had cooked dinner. The night had set in and so had the cold, compelling them to seek each other's warmth under the blankets. A solitary candle lit the room. Violet's foot had swollen, making sleep her only escape from the pain. She occupied the only bed in the room, leaving the others to the floor.

"So, you've been here long?" Marlon asked, his hands wrapped around Brody as she leaned back against his chest.

"Couple of weeks, at best. I prefer to move around," Aasim replied.

AJ glanced at Clementine. "I hate moving around."

"So do I. But I'd rather survive than get too comfortable in a place. Besides, being alone means I can go wherever I want."

Clementine changed her position under the blanket, stretching her legs. "You've always been alone?"

"No. I used to be with my sister. After that, it's just been me."

"So how long are you here?"

"Considering the fact that I almost lost my life today? Most probably a day or two. You guys are welcome to stay here if you want," Aasim replied.

"Really? Why would you want us to stay?" Louis asked.

"Well, you seem like good people and you saved me out there. So, think of it like me repaying you for that. I was so sure I wasn't going to make it back there. There was no way I'd have made it down on my own."

"Well, lucky for you, we were around." Louis paused, trying to find a comfortable position. "Anyone else feeling that the floor is way colder than it should be?"

"It gets really cold here at night. And this place didn't have too many blankets, so we're going to have to make do with what we have," Aasim said.

"That's alright," Clementine replied. "The fact that I don't have to sleep outside makes up for everything else."

"That's true," Louis agreed. "How bad does Vi's foot look?"

"Not too bad, honestly. She should be up and about in a couple of days. Until then, it's better she doesn't move at all."

"Damn. So, what's our move?" He looked at Marlon.

"Well, if it's like Aasim says, then we can't make Violet walk the entire day. Not if we want to cover meaningful distances, that is," Marlon replied.

"That means we're going to be here a few days. We can do a supply run until then," Brody suggested. "It's not like we've got food to last a long time."

"I think that's a good idea. You want to come AJ..?" Clementine looked at him. She expected him to jump at the chance of a run but instead, found him fast asleep. "I'll go. Marlon, I think you should come too."

He shook his head. "I'll stay here with Brody and Aasim. In case something happens, we need the majority of us here. Louis, and if you want, AJ, will go with you."

"I'm in. A nice long walk and some head smashing is my thing," Louis said.

"There's a town ahead if you-"

"Aha! I was right!" Marlon looked at the others triumphantly. "Sorry… you were saying?"

Aasim gave him a pointed look before resuming. "Like I was saying, you'll find the town some hours away. Just follow the road and you'll get there."

"Sounds good," Clementine said. "Louis, AJ and I can leave in the morning. We should be back by night. If it gets messy, we'll stay the night there."

"Yeah, alright. I'd still prefer if you guys were back tomorrow itself, but I'll leave the decision to you," Marlon said.

Clementine nodded. "How far is the road from here?"

"Half a mile at most. Just keep on the path outside and you'll eventually end up there. Watch for the walkers. There's suddenly too many of them around here," Aasim replied.

"That's just the horde moving. I haven't seen a horde this spread out in all my life. Even the one in Richmond wasn't that big."

"Richmond?" Brody asked.

"Long story. It was a community," Clementine said, quickly dismissing her question. "This horde must be spread over miles and miles."

"That explains a lot of things. Even how I got caught today," Aasim said. "Your friend got lucky." He looked at the sleeping Violet. "You guys are a good shot. That's the only reason we made it out with that speed."

"We don't leave friends behind," Marlon said. "Not if we can help it, at least." He cast a guilty glance towards Louis.

"That's good. It's not like there's much left in the world other than that." He looked forlorn for an instant. "So, anyway...," he continued hastily, changing the subject, "... you guys can do your run tomorrow. I might just leave, so the house is yours."

"Alright thanks. I think it's time we all got some sleep. You guys should definitely get rest, Clem and Louis," Marlon said. "Night."

The six of them lay down on the floor, trying to stay warm under the blankets. Clementine saw Aasim blow out the candle and settle down close to the door. She pulled her bag under her head, trying to find a position that made her feel comfortable. The cold hard floor decided otherwise.

Her eyes had adjusted to the moonlight now. She could make out Violet on the bed. Staring at the ceiling, she tried to will herself to fall asleep. She pressed her eyes shut, but it was to no avail. Sleep was not her friend for the time.

She resorted to counting sheep. Her dad had told her that if she counted all the sheep jumping over the fence, she'd be asleep before she knew it. Clearly, that was just his tactic to get her to fall asleep. She knew that now. Half the things parents said, they weren't even sure of it themselves. Soon enough, her mind slowly tired itself out and she never realised when sleep took over.

"_You have to shoot me, honey."_

Clementine tossed and turned as the nightmares ran around in her head.

"_You gotta go help AJ, Clem! I ain't lettin' you watch those fuckers chew me up."_

Her breathing became heavier.

"_Hey, sweetpea."_

Clementine's eyes flew open. She took long breaths, trying to calm herself down. She touched her forehead, finding it slick with sweat. Pushing herself up, she leaned against the wall. Everybody else seemed asleep. Marlon's soft snores carried through the room.

She was about to lay back down when she noticed the missing bump under the blanket. Aasim wasn't in the room. Her eyes moved over the room. It was all quiet.

Pulling the blanket off of her, she stood up. Making her way over to the bathroom, she softly opened the door, finding it empty. There was no way that that toilet had been used in the recent past. The only place he could've gone was outside. She doubted that he had climbed up the chimney.

Walking to the door, she opened it and stepped out of the house. The trees rustled with the wind under the moonlight. It was enough for her to see her surroundings.

"Fuck," she swore under her breath as she pulled her jacket closer. Being outside the cabin at a godforsaken hour wasn't the brightest idea, and neither was it the warmest. Aasim was nowhere in sight here. The cold was numbing her brain. It was better that she returned inside.

As she turned and was about to return to the warmth, she heard a sound. Looking back at the trees, her feet moved off the deck, taking slow steps towards the sound. Her hand instinctively reached for her knife, only to come across an empty sheath. She cursed herself for removing her weapons while sleeping. If it was a walker, it was better to keep her distance.

A dark figure suddenly stepped out of the trees. The knife in its hand glinted in the light of the moon as it walked towards her. Clementine felt a sudden panic run through her as she stood in her spot, rooted.

The figure abruptly halted in its tracks, looking at her. "Clementine?"

It took a moment for Clementine to register the voice, but she knew the owner. "Aasim?"

Aasim pocketed his knife. "What are you doing out here?"

"I could ask you the same," Clementine replied, suspicion in her voice.

"I take a walk sometimes. Helps to clear my mind."

"At night?"

"I have my reasons," he replied, slowly moving past her towards the cabin. He stopped at the deck, sitting down on the stairs. "What are you doing out here?" he repeated.

"I have my reasons," she said, glancing back at the trees before climbing up to the deck.

"Point noted," he replied with almost a chuckle. "So, you're their leader?"

"No, Marlon is."

"Really? I would've thought it was you. And… uh… AJ? He yours?"

"I'm not his mother," Clementine replied. She sighed. She'd lost any semblance of sleep by now. "So, you just roam around on your own?" She leaned against the pillar.

"Yeah. It's not fun but it's the only way of surviving. What about you?"

"I used to be with groups. Then it was just AJ and I for a few years until we found these guys."

"It's much better to be with other people when you have a child with you," he said.

"What do you mean?"

He was silent for an instant before he spoke. "I used to have a sister. We were together when it happened. We survived through the years by being with other people until we lost most of them to a bad supply run. It was just me and Asha for a while then.

"I thought that was safe. Until one day I didn't spot the walker. It just came out of nowhere and bit her. That was a year ago."

"Sorry to hear that," Clementine said. She sat down on the deck. "You know, I used to do that, too. It worked well when it was just me out there, but it's much easier when all of us are looking out for AJ together."

"It is. Where are you headed next?"

"Any place we can find food. It's not like there's a lot of it remaining. Hopefully we-" She stopped talking as a walker emerged from behind the trees, growling its way over to them.

Before she could say anything, Aasim got up, wordlessly. He strode over to the walker, removing his knife. With a ferocity that surprised Clementine, he swung his knife into the walker's head, kicking it in the guts as he pulled out his knife.

"That was….. harsh," she observed as he returned to the stairs.

"Fuck them. That's all they deserve."

"They do," Clementine agreed, eyeing the corpse. "So, you were out at night killing walkers or really taking a walk?"

"Couldn't sleep so I did go out for a walk and I came across a few of them. Must have missed this one."

"I couldn't sleep either. I didn't see you there so I came out to check if you were out here."

"Suspicious?"

Clementine shrugged.

"Don't worry, I'm not betraying you. I'll be gone by tomorrow, anyway. Still don't think I'm ready to be with people," he said. "Maybe someday."

"Where are you headed next?" she asked.

"Who knows? Wherever I want to go, I guess. Might not head the way you guys came though. Not with that horde moving about."

"Probably a good idea. There's too many of them."

"Yeah, definitely not on my list of preferred destinations. Well, I'm off for another walk. You can join me."

Clementine considered his proposal. "I think I should try and get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

Aasim nodded, getting up and stalking off towards the forest.

She watched him vanish into the trees before returning to the cabin. Nobody had stirred yet. Taking her place next to AJ, she tucked the blanket under him and pulled the remainder over herself. The sudden heat warmed her up, comforting her. She closed her eyes, counting the sheep again.

**Author's Note: My original draft had much less of Aasim in this chapter. Then I read a few comments that made me realise I'd really sidelined him. So, here's more of him! Favourites, follows and reviews go a really long way in this journey. Enjoy!**


	12. Carpe Diem

The three figures stood on the street, jerking their heads about at the slightest of sounds. Their glassy eyes stared into oblivion, waiting for their next meal to present itself on a silver platter. With a sudden crunch, the first walker crumbled to the ground. A flash of a blade preceded the demise of the second walker. The final undead creature hobbled over to the boy and girl, only to meet the wooden chair leg.

"Chairles has more brain bits than nails at this point," Clementine observed, wiping her knife against the torn clothes of the walker.

"I know, right? How do these guys even have brains? It's not like they use them at all," Louis wondered aloud, trying to flick the gore off his weapon.

Noon had come by the time Clementine, AJ and Louis reached the town. The trip there had been uneventful since the three of them found it relatively easier to simply evade the dead than to slash their way through them.

"That journey took a hell of a lot longer than I expected," Louis said, setting his bag down and rubbing his shoulders.

"There are quite a few houses. This could take a while to finish," Clementine said. "We'll have to work really fast."

"We can't cover every house anyway. We'll do what we can."

"I don't think we can make it home tonight," AJ commented.

"Me neither. Night time and walkers don't sit well with me," Clementine told them.

"Got it. Let's get to it then," Louis said.

The street ran straight ahead of them. Houses dotted the sides of it. Most of them seemed to be decaying with a few of them just sitting there with their doors and windows flung open. The front lawns were in no better conditions. The walkers wandered about, blissfully unaware of the newcomers.

"Come on, let's be quick about it." Clementine led the stealthy approach towards the first house. The houses weren't very big, which was a good thing. They'd be able to check more in the limited time they had.

She opened the door, knife in her hand. Letting the others in, she closed the door behind them. They stood in a living room, with a doorway on the left as well as the right side. She could vaguely spot a kitchen through the right one. The furniture was covered with cobwebs and a stale smell filled the air.

She stepped forward, rapping the end of the knife against the sofa. A growl answered the call, but nothing appeared.

"Stay close," she told them, stepping over the creaky floorboards towards the left doorway where the growl had come from. It was a hallway, with a bathroom in front of the doorway and two bedrooms. A walker lay on the floor, missing the lower half of its body.

"So, that's who was growling," Louis said. He brought Chairles down onto its head, cracking it open. "Disgusting."

Clementine eyed the bathroom. Opening the medicine cabinet, she was greeted by empty shelves. Other than a few scampering spiders, there seemed nothing useful for the taking.

The first bedroom was fully stocked with dusty trophies and books. The orange glow of the sun lent an eerie atmosphere to it. A lone knife sat on the table. Clementine picked it up. It appeared to have rust spots all over and a dull edge. She bagged it with the thought that perhaps she could clean and sharpen it up. It's not like it was being useful in there anyway.

They opened the door to the final bedroom. Dust particles danced about in the light of the sun that coursed in through the window. A walker sat handcuffed to the bed post.

However, it wasn't an adult.

"Fuck," Clementine said as she realised she was staring at a child.

"What happened?" AJ asked, looking at it.

"Nothing." She turned to Louis. "Can you go check the kitchen with AJ? That's the other doorway I think."

"Why do I have to go?" AJ inquired.

"Because I don't want you to see this. Go, now." She heard their footsteps move away towards the other part of the house.

Taking a step closer to the walker, she observed it. By the looks of it, the child had turned in the early part of the outbreak. Its ribs were visible and it had lost its hair. Its colourless eyes seemed to follow her movements. The cuffs rattled every time the child moved.

Clementine kept her distance from it. She picked up the dusty paper lying on the table, blowing on it. It appeared to be a drawing of his family: his father, his mother and he, himself. She suddenly felt dizzy. Taking support against the table, she placed the drawing down and massaged her temples.

She looked at the child again, starting to notice the familiarity. Her hand grasped the knife as it shook. Little beads of sweat rolled down her face. AJ seemed to be almost voiceless now, reaching out for help. She had to make sure he didn't suffer alone. She raised her hand…

"Clementine?"

She snapped out of her haze. Louis and AJ wore a concerned look on their faces as they stood in the door.

"Are you okay?" Louis asked, walking towards her.

She hadn't realised what she was doing. Feeling Louis' hand on her shoulder, she wrapped her arms around him without a warning, breathing rapidly.

"It's alright," he said, soothing her. He pulled away. "Go out. I'll take care of it." He plucked the knife out of her hand.

Clementine and AJ left the room and waited in the hallway. A squelching sound escaped the room, followed by Louis' footsteps.

"Did you find anything in the kitchen?" Clementine asked, trying to normalise herself.

"We found some bandages," AJ said.

"There was no food," Louis replied, handing the knife back to her. "And the fridge was completely rotten. There's a TV if you want."

Clementine chuckled despite herself. "I wish it worked. I'd give anything to watch a movie with popcorn," she reminisced. "Someday. Time to leave now."

"Are you sure? We can…. take a break, if you want."

As much as she would have loved to just sit down and forget about the world, she knew it wasn't viable. "We don't have that luxury right now. We need to find a safe place before night-time. Like I said, I'm not roaming around out there in the dark."

"Okay. Onto the next then."

The next many houses were no different. All of them had the same layout, making it easy for them to split the work. Nothing of value presented itself, though, forcing them to come up with a new plan.

"This street doesn't look too promising," Louis concluded. "Maybe we should hit another one?"

"I think that's a good idea. Hopefully we'll find something there," Clementine replied.

The three of them used the cover of the houses to sneak past the walkers onto the next street. This one, too, had houses down both the sides. It seemed like a fairly populated town if the number of dwellings were considered.

"Here," Clementine whispered, squeezing through the fence of the house. "We'll check this one out."

They kept their heads low, silently jogging to the house. Clementine turned down the door handle, as she had so many previous times. It got stuck midway.

"What's the hold up?" Louis asked, anxiously glancing at the walkers on the road. They were out of cover and it was seconds before they were spotted.

"Clem….?" AJ said, alternating his eyes between the handle and the walkers. The sounds of the handle being fiddled with were clear, apparently even to the dead. They'd caught the disturbance and were looking around for the source.

"Clementine, now would be a fucking good time to open that door," Louis said, panic in his voice.

"Fuck… this shit is stuck," Clementine said, shaking the handle. She heard the shuffling of the walkers move closer. Why wasn't it opening? Did this really have to happen right now? The sound of Louis bringing Chairles down onto a head spurred her on.

With a loud groan, she brought the handle down, flinging the door open. "Go!" She ushered them in, slamming the door behind her. It barely closed before the walkers beat their fists against it. She looked around hurriedly for anything that would aid them. "We need to block the door! Help me move the sofa!"

They ran to it, pushing it with all their might. The thing weighed more than it let on, nearly robbing the kids of all their strength. Finally, it sat across the door, hopefully preventing it from being broken open.

"Fuck, I never want to do that again," Louis said, sitting down on the sofa.

"That was really close," AJ said. "I didn't even have my gun."

"Sorry, the dumb thing refused to budge. Are you guys okay?" Clementine asked, wiping the sweat off her forehead.

"Yep. I thought it was over when I whacked the first deadhead. Miracles are all that keep us going, honestly," Louis said.

"I agree. If that door hadn't opened, we were done for. I'm just glad we're in here. AJ, you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm okay," he replied.

"Alright, we need to clear this house." The thudding of the walkers' fists was louder than any of them would have liked. "Looks we're spending the night here. Louis, you're fine with taking the kitchen? I'll go check the hallway and rooms with AJ."

"Just give me a second. It hasn't sunk in that we're still alive."

They regrouped in the bedroom once they were sure the house was bereft of walkers. They pulled the curtains, or what was left of them, close and lit a candle. Clementine and Louis sat down on the floor as they went through everything they'd collected. AJ sat at the edge of the bed, observing them.

"I think they've lost interest," Louis said, waving around the bandages in his hand as he spoke.

"They always do. When it gets quiet, they forget anything was ever there," Clementine replied. She took the bandages from his hand, placing them in her bag. "What else did we find?"

"I found a few tablets of something. Here."

Clementine opened the bottle, grimacing as a pungent smell invaded her nostrils. "Fuck, this is spoilt. Throw it."

"And these couple of cans. That's all we found." He placed them back in his bag.

"The knife too." She showed him the slightly rusted knife. "It's not too bad. I think we can fix it."

Louis observed the knife. "I think I'll stick to my darling Chairles. Knives aren't my thing. It's more Vi's choice. And yours."

"Your call. We'll see what we can find tomorrow. For now, how about we eat?" Clementine asked.

"I'm hungry," AJ said. "Do we have enough for the three of us?"

"I'm not too hungry," she lied, pulling out a can from her bag. "Just leave me a few bites and I'll be okay." She opened the can with her knife and passed it to him along with a spoon.

"You know what, I'm not very hungry either. Save a spoon for me and I'm good," Louis said, looking at Clementine and then AJ.

"But I can't eat this all alone. You guys have to be hungry," AJ asserted.

"I'm really not. I promise. If I am, I'll just open another can, alright?" Clementine said.

He nodded. Just short of inhaling the food, he finished half the can, handing it back to her. "You should eat now," he said, wiping his mouth.

"Thanks goofball," she replied, smiling at him. "You look tired. You want to sleep? I'll take first watch."

"Okay," he replied. "Wake me up when it's my turn." He laid down on the bed, making himself comfortable.

Clementine took a bite before handing it to Louis. "Thanks," she whispered.

Louis accepted the can from her. "We're family, aren't we? The kids' gotta be priority," he joked.

She laughed. "I get worried taking care of him, you know? He just acts more like an adult than a child."

"You can't blame him. Not having a childhood is pretty much the worst thing to happen to anyone. He probably spent most of it just figuring out how to survive."

"Yeah. I wish things would be different for him," she said wistfully.

"They can be, you know? You just have to make sure he doesn't forget himself in all this mess. There's gotta be something worth living for always."

"I've always taught him to keep his guard up. Things that would help him make it on his own, if it would ever be necessary."

"You worry too much about what will happen. What's the point if you just keep thinking about the future and forget what's happening now?" Louis questioned.

"It doesn't work that way. Not now, at least. If I was like that, AJ and I wouldn't have survived all this time."

"I know. Don't lose yourself is all."

Clementine smiled at him. She finished the last spoonful of the food and placed the can away. "So, what did you do to get sent to Ericson's?"

"Oh, there's never a good answer for that," Louis replied. "You sure you want to hear that?"

"Yeah, but if you're okay with telling me."

"I am. You just have to promise not to judge me, okay?" He took a deep breath. "So, my parents were rich. Like, filthy rich. And I wanted singing lessons. But my dad said I could either be happy or be successful. I couldn't understand what that meant so I got mad and decided to teach him a lesson.

"I used his card and bought things. Made it look like he had a mistress. We were so rich, my dad never noticed anything. Of course, I had to be a vindictive dickhead and present it anonymously to my mom. Well, before I knew it, they were getting a divorce. I told my dad the same thing he told me, be happy or be successful."

"Damn, I wouldn't have seen that coming," Clementine said.

"I know. It's just that, me and my parents... uh… we never really understood-"

"Louis, you don't have to justify it to me. Whatever we did before doesn't matter. It's only what we do now that does."

"Yeah," he replied gratefully. "That's true."

"I hope we can get moving quickly," she said, changing the subject. "Getting stuck back at the cabin gives me an uneasy feeling."

"It's not that bad. Vi should be up within a day or two and we'll be on our merry way." He yawned.

"Let's hope it's merry. You should sleep," she told him. "You definitely look like you use some sleep."

He chuckled as she quoted him. "Alright. We'll do shifts."

Clementine blew out the candle as she heard the bed creak softly with Louis shifting to find a good position. Leaning against the side of the bed, she removed her cap and set her hair free, letting it breathe. She settled in for the watch, pondering over Louis' words. She wondered if she had brought up AJ right. There were bound to be times when he would be tested and she could only hope that he would do the right things.

**Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed that! Let me know what you think by dropping a review :D I might be doing double posts for a couple weeks cause I have some time to write. Follows and favourites are highly appreciated.**


	13. The Sheep in Wolf's Clothing

Clementine was the first to awaken. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she sat up. AJ slept next to her. Louis had gone to sleep with his head rested on the bed. He probably slept off during his watch. The sun was up, meaning that that it was time they all got to work.

Slipping out of bed, she recalled the escape from the day before. The bedroom door was still closed, and the inside of the house was quiet. It was safe to assume that the walkers had not been able to break down the door.

She ventured out of the bedroom and cautiously made her way over to the front door. The sofa still sat there, protecting them from an intrusion. Peeking out of the window, she came face to face with a walker.

Startled, she jumped back, causing it to start growling and clawing at the window. There were still a few of them out there. The door didn't appear to be a good option to use anymore.

On returning to the room, she found Louis awake. "Morning. The front door is still filled with walkers," she told him.

"Okay, that's a lot of information to process within the first few seconds of waking up," he replied, stifling a yawning.

"Sorry. I just want to get out of here and back to the cabin."

"Yeah, me too. I'm done with a lifetime's supply of walker scares."

Clementine woke AJ up. "The window might be our way out," she told Louis, pulling the curtains aside slightly. The window faced the side of the property. The fence in front was too tall to simply jump over. If they could reach the backyard, that could still provide an escape route.

"What's going on?" AJ asked sleepily, noticing her staring out the window.

"We're getting out through here. Help me clear everything up."

They bagged their items and stood in front of the window. Clementine unlatched the lock, swinging the window open towards the outside with a little creak. She poked her head out. There was a walker on the road, but other than that, it seemed safe to jump out.

She climbed out onto the grass and waited for Louis and AJ to follow her. Going to the front did not seem like a good idea. Heading towards the backyard of the house, she found a little playground. A tyre hung from a tree, swaying with the breeze. A broken slide lay sideways on the unkempt grass, with a sandbox to its side as well as a seesaw.

"What is all this?" AJ asked. "Are they… walker traps?"

"What? No, this is a playground," Louis said, with a hint of sorrow in his voice.

"This is where parents used to bring their children to play," Clementine said.

"So, everyone got to come here?" AJ asked.

"Well, this one probably belonged to the family living in this house. But there were other ones for everyone to come and play."

"What is that tyre one?"

"You sit in it and someone pushes the tyre. It's fun seeing who can go higher. You can try it, if you want."

"Maybe some other day," AJ said, not entirely convinced of the concept. "The walkers can get you if you sit playing here. Why would anyone make this?"

"It wasn't built for a time that had walkers," Louis said. "It was meant for children to play in the day."

"I bet it was nice without walkers."

Clementine sighed. "It was. But that doesn't mean we still can't have fun," she told him, glancing at Louis.

They slipped through a gap in the fence, landing in the backyard of another house. The house appeared slightly different than the ones they'd seen before. It had two storeys and a back entrance as well. A few trees were sprinkled throughout the back.

She tried the door. It refused to budge. "This one's definitely locked." She glanced at the windows. "Don't think the windows are open too."

"Is it safe to go from the front?" AJ asked.

"Let's find out." Clementine led the trio through the side of the house, trying to see if she could spot any walkers. Other than a couple just loitering about on the street, it seemed quiet this side. She silently darted to the front door, getting surprised when the door clicked open.

The air in the house was even mustier than could be possible. Plates lay shattered on the floor with blood marring the dusty carpet. She sneezed, covering her nose with her free hand.

"Damn, every house is like a remnant of violence," Louis said. "What the hell is that?" He pointed at the thing sitting on the plate near the sofa.

"I don't want to know," Clementine replied, disgusted by the green gooey item. She avoided the strewn glass, and proceeded to search the house.

"There's nothing here," AJ said after the three of them had toured the house.

"I'm not very surprised, though. So many years later… there's bound to be little worth taking," Clementine said.

"We'll find something soon enough," Louis reassured her. "At least we got to spend time each other, right?"

"That's true. But we still need supplies and just having our company isn't going to help much."

"Yeah. We'll do another run later. Maybe we'll get lucky."

"Maybe. Let's start heading back." The trio left the house, tracing back their route to the forest. They had to take a small detour to avoid the little group of walkers.

As they walked through the last street, Clementine's hand flew to her forehead, massaging it.

"What's wrong?" Louis asked.

"Nothing. Think it's a headache," she replied. There was a stab of pain and it receded as quickly as it had appeared.

"You haven't eaten or slept much. Plus, the weather isn't great either."

"Probably. It's better now. And anyway, we'll be at the cabin before we know it."

The trio had just passed the last house when the sound of a car engine broke the stillness of the morning. Almost as if in concerted action, they gave each other a look before scrambling off the road and into the trees. A few moments passed before a dark blue van drove by. The windows had been covered by metal strips, possibly as a defence in gun fights.

The car came to a stop a little distance from them. For a second, nothing happened. The three waited with bated breath to see what was happening. The doors opened and out came three people. One of them had gotten out from the other side, making it difficult to see what they were doing.

"This is the spot," the thin man said in a gruffy voice. He had on a black jacket and brown pants. His thinning hair gave him an old look.

"I'll start looking," the burly man replied. His t-shirt hung off his massive frame as he reached inside for his rifle. He headed off in the direction of the houses.

"Girl, get your shit ready. I ain't got all fuckin' day to wait on your ass," the thin man said, presumably to the third person out of their sight.

"What are we waiting for?" Louis whispered to Clementine as she noticed the grey bag sitting on the seat of the van.

"They've got supplies," she replied.

Louis gave her a scared look. "You can't be serious. We can't rob them. They'll kill us."

"Clem are we going to take their stuff?" AJ asked.

"We have to. I wouldn't if we had a choice but… we desperately need it." She watched the man as he walked around to the other side of the van.

"Clem….." Louis broke off, fear in his voice.

"Leave it to me," Clementine said, removing her gun from the bag. "I'll get the bag." Without another word, she ghosted up onto the road. The voices of the man and the woman were audible. She took the cover of the car and slowly slipped around the side. Peeking out at them, she decided to take the chance.

"Drop the gun," she said to the two.

The man had his rifle slung over the shoulder. He looked annoyed. "Walk away, girl and we'll forget it ever happened. Of course, you ain't getting' too far before I get you."

Clementine looked unfazed. "Drop it right now or I'm going to kill you and take your stuff," she continued.

"You really wanna do this? Cause I'm-"

"Now."

"You have no fuckin' idea what you pulled yourself into, kid," the man growled, slowly sliding his gun off and throwing it at his feet. The girl with him looked slightly frightened. Her red hair was short and was drawn to one side and her green coat looked thick and comfortable. She had no weapons in her hand.

"You're never going to see me again," Clementine said. "Now, move away from those bags."

"You want to take my fuckin' bags? You have no ide-"

She pointed the gun straight at his head. "Don't test me. Move. Now."

The man scowled, stepping back. "You're gonna pay for this. We don't forget," he said menacingly.

Clementine, while keeping the gun aimed at them, slowly wrapped her fingers around the strap and tugged it towards her. The bag was heavy, but she could lift it. She saw Louis and AJ approach from the corner of her eye.

"Clementine, did you…." Louis paused as he froze next to her.

"Louis?" Clementine asked, keeping the gun pointed at the two. The redhead's face suddenly went pale as she stared back.

"Oh my God, you're alive," Louis whispered.

"Louis, do you know her?" Clementine asked. The redhead seemed to have forgotten how to speak.

"How…?" Louis' voice was of disbelief.

"Louis, what the fuck is going on?"

"That's… that's Minnie."


	14. Pieces of a Puzzle

"Minnie…? Your friend?" Clementine asked, bewildered.

"But how…?" Louis couldn't process the fact that his friend stood before him, very much alive. "You got out?"

Minnie shook her head. "No. I got caught." Tears stained her eyes. "And-"

"Clem!" AJ yelled.

Clementine fired. The man roared in agony as he clutched his shoulder, his pistol dropping with a thud. He had been trying to reach his weapon that was tucked into the back of his pants. She and AJ had spotted him slowly pulling it out when everyone's eyes were focused on Minnie.

"You fuckin' bitch! You shot me!" The man howled as blood flowed through his fingers from the wound.

"Ed?" Minnie's face took on a shocked expression as she stepped away from the man.

"You shouldn't have gone for your gun then," Clementine said, calmly. "AJ pick up the gun." She waited till he had picked it up.

"Fuckin' hell!" Ed groaned from the pain.

"It's a flesh wo-"

The headlight of the car suddenly shattered with the sound of a gunshot accompanying it. Deciding it was time to make his escape, Ed threw caution to the wind and took to his heels, racing towards the forest.

"Get behind the car!" Clementine yelled at them as they leapt to cover. Peeking out, she spotted the burly man standing near the fence of the house.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" he yelled, firing another bullet at the vehicle as Clementine returned to safety.

"Who the fuck is that?" Clementine asked.

"That's Tom," Minnie replied. Her voice was quivering.

"What are you doing here?" Louis asked Minnie.

"Louis! Not now!" Clementine flinched as a bullet ricocheted off the car. "Where's that other man… Ed?" She tried to spot him in the trees.

"He's gone. You shot him," Minnie said in disbelief.

"He would've shot us and we're not dying today." She tried to catch another glimpse of their attacker. "We need to get to the trees first."

"What's the plan then?" Louis asked.

When I say run-" Another bullet. "I want you guys to head straight for the trees, okay?"

"What about you?" AJ questioned.

"I'll be okay. Don't stop. I'll be right behind you."

"I can help provide cover." He looked resolute.

"No, I need you to go with them. Keep the gun with you, alright? Don't use it unless you really have to." She gave him a quick smile before she looked out the other side of the car and fired at the man. He cursed loudly and jumped behind the fence. "Now!"

Louis and AJ made straight for the forest as Clementine used her gun to keep the man at bay. Minnie found her legs give up before she even started running. She looked torn about what to do.

"Why didn't you go?" Clementine asked.

"I…. I don't know," Minnie replied, her voice ebbing with confusion. "I don't think it's a good idea."

"Like it or not, you're already a part of this. There's no point staying behind here anymore. We'll go together." The bag that had caused this entire occurrence sat nearby on the ground where she'd left it. Clementine reached for it, pulling it towards her.

"Should we leave the bag?"

"What? No, I'm not leaving without it. Be ready." Taking a deep breath, Clementine fired her last bullet at the man before taking to her heels. Before he could fire again, the two had sprinted across the road, reunited with her friends.

"You hurt?" Louis asked, relief in his voice.

"No." She shook her head, glancing at Minnie. "We need to get out of here. Right now. Stay quiet."

The gunfight had alerted the nearby walkers to their presence. Clementine placed her gun back in the bag and switched to her knife. She and Louis led the charge, taking down any walkers unlucky enough to venture into their path.

They seemed to have evaded the larger part of the attracted walkers. It was if fortune had smiled down on them for once, providing them a safe passage away from the place.

They followed the route, close enough to the road but far enough that they wouldn't be spotted by anyone up there. Before long, they felt the effects of the fight wear off, having made a good distance from the town.

"How are you alive?" Minnie asked Louis.

"You mean, after the attack at Ericson's?"

"Yeah. I thought none of you made it out."

"We almost didn't. One of the raiders made it up to the office and Marlon and Violet took him down. We escaped out the back. Barely made it through with all the walkers that had heard the entire ruckus."

"So, who got out?"

"Marlon, Brody, Violet and I…. We didn't mean to leave you behind," he said guiltily, not making eye contact with her.

"All four of you are alive?" Minnie's voice suddenly took on a more spirited tone.

"Yeah. We came to Marlon's uncle's house when we ran, and we were there for a long time. We came across Clementine and AJ on a supply run a while ago."

Clementine simply nodded her acknowledgement, keeping quiet. She kept her eyes on the road, knife in one hand and the bag in another. She glanced back at AJ, noticing he had the same look as she did.

"Are you still there?" Minnie asked.

"We left a few days ago and we've been at-"

"Who were those guys?" Clementine interrupted Louis before he could complete his sentence.

Minnie was silent for a moment. "They were the ones who attacked Ericson's."

Louis had a stunned look on his face as he stopped moving. "What the fuck? You're with them?"

"It's… not that simple. I didn't have a choice. They forced me."

"How?" Clementine was pushing for answers.

"When they broke into Ericson's, I was in the courtyard with Sophie and Tenn and…" A tear ran down her face. "Sophie tried to stop one of them and he killed her. And Tenn… he got shot in the stomach."

Louis looked horrified.

"I tried saving him but he ended up turning and biting me on the hand." She pulled up the jacket sleeve on her left hand. Where her hand should have been, a stump took its place at the wrist. "They came in and found me. When they realized I was bit, one of the women cut the infected part off. I passed out after that.

"When I woke up, I was in some sort of room. They'd brought me to their community and patched me up. Beth told me I could stay if I became one of them."

"Beth?" Louis asked.

"Their leader. They're a group called Delta. She's the one who runs the entire thing."

"After everything they did, you just said yes to them?" Clementine asked, keeping her eyes focused on the path.

"You don't know Beth. She would've killed me if I didn't agree to her. Mitch, Ruby and Omar were captured too," Minnie replied, her voice sorrowful.

"They're alive?" Louis' was incredulous.

"Don't know. She offered the choice to stay to Mitch first. He didn't want anything to do with her so he told her to fuck off. I thought she was going to let him go when she didn't say anything. But she shot him in the head in front of all of us."

"Fucking hell….. And the rest?"

"When she shot Mitch, we didn't know what to say. So, all of us agreed to stay there. A week later, she sent Ruby and Omar to different camps."

"What do you mean, different camps?" Clementine warily inquired.

"Beth made an alliance with different communities. Communities that were like her. They rely on raiding to feed their people. All of them trade soldiers and supplies and they follow marked territories."

"So, she sent Omar and Ruby to another community?" Louis asked.

"Yeah. She traded them in for guns. That's how they survive. Taking on other communities and maintaining an agreement between the rest."

"How many are there?"

"Eight... maybe nine? They've got an entire war going on with another group of communities."

"Why didn't you run then?" Clementine asked.

Minnie didn't reply. She stared at the ground. "I was too afraid to leave," she replied softly. Her voice was riddled with shame. "I was alone and I didn't know where to go. So, I stayed back and did what was told, hoping that I'd just wake up and find myself back at school."

Louis looked at the girl and wrapped his arms around her. "It's alright. It's over. We found you and it's all going to be okay. Let's go home now, alright?"

She nodded, wiping away the tears. Clementine followed the two of them with AJ by her side. A tug at her sleeves pulled her attention away from her thoughts.

"Is she dangerous?" AJ asked. They were just out of the two's earshot.

"I don't know. She doesn't seem to be, but I'm getting a bad feeling about this," she replied.

"Me too. What should we do?"

Clementine glanced at the pair. They were still engaged in a conversation, oblivious to the talking behind them. "For now, we'll keep a watch on her. Hopefully, it's nothing."

AJ nodded.

"So, did you attack any communities?" Clementine asked Minnie, catching up to them.

"No, I only do watch duty and supply runs. I haven't killed anybody, if that's what you're asking," she replied. "I couldn't."

"You couldn't?"

"Clem. Please, stop," Louis pleaded.

"No, it's okay," Minnie replied. "She's not wrong. Even I wouldn't trust me." Everybody fell silent. "There was a deserter, one of the recruits. He got caught trying to escape one night. I was there so Beth asked me to shoot him. When I pointed the gun at him, I couldn't bring myself to do it. The way his eyes begged for mercy and he pleaded for his life… I couldn't."

"What happened to him?" AJ asked.

"Ed took care of him. He's her closest aide. And the fact that we shot him is going to make things ten times worse."

"They're not going to find us," Louis said. "We'll get back to the cabin and leave as soon as Violet can walk."

"What happened to her?"

"We had a close call with some walkers. She tripped while running and sprained her ankle. We had to take a stop at the cabin to let her rest."

"That's why we took the bag back there," Clementine added. "We're almost out of food and this stop is costing us a lot."

"I don't think people at Delta are going to be happy about that," Minnie said.

"We'll deal with it when the time comes. Right now, we really needed the supplies. We have enough weapons to answer back."

"You don't know them. They don't like people that get in their way."

Clementine didn't reply. She did what she had to. Maybe there would be repercussions, but without the supplies, they wouldn't survive for sure. She continued walking, her fingers pulsing around the tightly grasped knife. A sudden gust of wind chilled her as she tried to quell the unease in her mind.

**A/N: As always, reviews, favourites and follows go a long way!**


	15. Dark Tranquility

"Are they in there?" Minnie asked nervously as the cabin presented itself in their sight.

"Yep. I wonder what their expressions will be like," Louis mused. "We went out for food and came back with you. Don't see it getting any better than that."

"I don't know what they're going to say."

"Let's go find out, shall we?" He led them towards the wooden structure, pausing at the door. He knocked, announcing himself.

The door opened and Marlon stepped out. "Oh, it's you guys. We were getting-" The words caught in his throat as his eyes fell upon Minnie. He couldn't seem to make a coherent sentence as he stared, befuddled, at her.

Minnie ran to him, hugging the frozen boy.

"What…?" He mumbled, trying to make sense of the situation.

"It's so good to see you," she said, breaking away. "Brody and Violet are in there?"

"Uh… yeah. Come- come on in."

Clementine watched as the two of them disappeared into the cabin. She sheathed the knife and placed the bag on the deck, trying to loosen up her cramped fingers.

"I'll take the bag in. Come on," Louis said as he lifted it up and walked through the door, followed by AJ.

She eyed the trees, looking for anything out of the ordinary. The wind seemed to be much colder that day as it blew through the trees under the grey clouds, scattering the fallen leaves. She hated winters with all her heart. Cold, dark and snowy, most of her dislikes in one sentence.

She glanced back at the cabin, hearing the excited voices from within. She almost smiled, thinking of how joyful it must feel to have some returned from the dead. Luck had returned Kenny and AJ back to her. She was determined not to lose what she had again.

Deciding it was time to go in, she entered the cabin, finding Minnie being hounded by questions. Incredulous faces surrounded her as everyone gathered around their old friend.

"… Sophie and Tenn?' Violet asked her with hope in her voice.

Minnie shook her head as she confirmed their fear. They'd presumed their friends were dead once, but after finding one of them alive, a hope had naturally arisen that the others would be too. Fate, however, had other plans as she told them that the others were, indeed, not coming back.

"It's just me," Minnie replied as the kids tried to process their friends' deaths.

"So, Delta is who these fuckers are," Violet said. "Where's their camp?"

"A while away from here. They fortified a prison and turned it into a safe place, complete with growing their own food and clean water supply."

"What are they doing out here?" Marlon asked.

"With the war, our supplies were-"

"Our?" Brody interrupted her. "You're not thinking of going back?"

A sudden panic flashed across Minnie's face before it abruptly disappeared. "No," she said. She glimpsed Clementine's eyes fixed on her. "Their supplies are running low with the war. Beth was sending us out further and further to see if we could scavenge supplies."

"Didn't you just say they grow their own food or does evil seep into their roots too?" Violet asked, hatred in her voice.

Minnie was taken aback at Violet's behavior. "I… There was an attack a couple of weeks ago that destroyed a part of the prison. While that gets rebuilt, Beth sent groups out to see if we could find anything to keep us going."

"What about her evil buddies?"

"Everyone's engaged in the war. There's no excess food to give."

"Guess karma's a bitch. I hope one of the guys kills her. I hope the walkers tear her apart. I hope.."

Clementine glanced at Violet. As the blonde girl rambled on, she caught the brunette looking at her and abruptly stopped talking.

"What do we do if they're close by?" Louis asked, looking worried. "How's your foot, Vi?"

"Not too bad," she replied. "I can walk but not a lot. Aasim said it should be okay by tomorrow."

"Speaking of him, where is he?"

"He went out a while ago," Marlon replied, gesturing towards the door. "Said he'd be back before sunset. That doesn't matter anyway. What matters is what we're going to do now."

"Violet looks much better," Brody said. "We can leave tomorrow and get out before they can ever find us."

"That's what we'll do," Clementine said. "The sooner we leave, the better it is."

"You think we can escape?" Minnie asked.

"Yeah, we can," Brody answered a visibly relieved Minnie. "You're back with us and we're not giving anyone up again."

"What's that bag?" Marlon asked, his attention finally landing on the grey bag.

"That's the reason we found Minnie. We saw this guy jump out of the car and spotted a bag on the seat. Clem thought we could take it. Then we saw Minnie, and Clem shot one of the guys in the shoulder and-"

"You shot him?" Violet asked, sounding impressed. Normally this would have seemed a little too harsh. But judging from her behavior, she seemed glad that Clementine had hurt one of the people that had caused this entire journey, in a way.

"Yep," Clementine continued the story. "He tried to pull out his pistol. AJ's got that now." AJ held the pistol out to Violet.

"This looks really good." Violet looked it over before handing it back to AJ. "You're sure you know how to use this one right? We don't need friendly fire in here."

AJ nodded. "Clem taught me."

"Ask the kids about math and they don't know. But ask them about a gun and they'll aim for the head," Louis said with mock horror on his face, making everyone laugh. The mood appeared to be lifting.

"So, what all did we get in the bag?" Marlon asked.

"It's got food and pistols," Clementine replied. "It's quite a bit, actually."

"Okay, this is good news. At least the supply run turned up something useful. There's nothing to hunt here at all. I went in the morning to look around and only found walkers."

"We aren't meant to be here for a long time anyway. As soon as its sunrise, we're out of here."

"Is Aasim coming with us?" AJ asked.

"Who's Aasim?" Minnie questioned.

"He's the guy that we saved and ended up with Violet and a swollen ankle cause Princess, here, can't look while running." Louis grinned at Violet.

"Fuck off, Louis," Violet swore at him. "You were the one who kept asking stupid questions."

"Me? I only asked what direction we-"

"I said fuck off, Louis. I'd hit you with your own stupid chair leg if I could right now."

As different conversations fragmented the group, Clementine felt the pain strike through her head. It was similar to the one she had had in the morning. Blinking rapidly, trying to swallow the pain, she massaged her forehead and slipped out of the cabin.

Taking a seat on the deck, she tried controlling her breathing. Slowly, the pain dissipated, making her exhale in relief. She folded her arms, shielding her fingers from the wind by hiding them in the folds of her warm red jacket. She was going to have find clothes soon enough, including shoes. AJ was also growing up and finding clothes for him was going to be a pain.

She gazed at the trees. Being alone with her thoughts was one of the luxuries she afforded herself, seizing any and every chance she got. The sound of boots moving over the deck behind her drew her attention.

AJ plopped himself down onto the deck next to her, swinging his legs. Clementine glanced at him before turning her eyes back to the trees.

"Hey, kiddo. What happened?" she asked him.

"I feel tired. And hungry."

She chuckled. "It's been a tiring journey to the town. And you're always hungry. We'll make dinner soon." Even though it was hidden behind the clouds, the sun appeared to be making its descent.

"I hope so." He took a pause. "Clem? What happened with that walker yesterday?"

Clementine knew which walker he was referring to. "Which one?"

"The one that was on the bed. Which Louis killed."

"Do you want the truth?"

He nodded in response.

"It made me scared about you. About what would happen if you got bit and what I'd do," she replied.

"I won't get bit. Promise."

"I won't let you." She wrapped an arm around him. "How do your boots feel?"

"They're okay. A little tight here." He pointed at his toes.

Clementine observed the shoe. "It's becoming small for you. We're going to have to find another pair for you. The soles are wearing off too," she said, noticing the edges starting to wear away.

"What about yours?" he asked.

"Sadly, I'm not growing anywhere. You, on the other hand, will be much taller than I am. I'll make sure of that."

"I don't want to be too tall. Louis or Marlon are tall enough."

"You probably won't grow beyond that anyway. That's pretty tall though. And it'll help you remove the dishes from the cabinet too," she joked, remembering her own predicament.

"Got space for another?" Violet asked, appearing at the doorway. Clementine got up and helped her settle down on the deck. "So, what are we talking about?"

"We're talking about heights," Clementine said.

"You're pretty short, you know." Violet laughed.

"Hey!" Clementine said defensively.

"What? I didn't say it was bad."

"Does it hurt?" AJ asked Violet.

"A little. Every time I put that foot down, it hurts. But other than that, I think it's okay. I wish I'd seen that stupid root."

"It's not your fault. It's Louis'," Clementine replied, making the two of them laugh.

"You know, I'm glad you guys are back safe. It got pretty boring with only Marlon and Brody and… I almost missed you guys." She suddenly looked awkward. "God, you probably think I'm some weirdo now."

Clementine chuckled softly. "You're a weirdo, just like all of us," she replied, eliciting a smile from Violet. "Why aren't you in there talking to Minnie?"

Violet shrugged. "I'm really happy to see her. I am. But… she worked for the guys that killed our friends. I don't know if I can forgive her for that. And if what she said is true, then Sophie, Tenn and Mitch are dead and Omar and Ruby might as well be."

"She didn't do it cause she wanted to. She said she was forced." Clementine suddenly found herself advocating for Minnie.

"You really agree with her?" Violet asked, surprised.

Clementine shook her head. "I don't. But I can probably understand why she did it. I've seen a lot of scared people do things they shouldn't."

Violet nodded her head in understanding. "I… uh… kinda feel like I'm to blame here, too. I mean only the four of us escaped. If we'd tried to help the others then maybe everyone would still be here."

"It's not your fault. I don't think there was a way you could've helped the others. At least the four of you got out."

"Yeah. Just bothers me sometimes. I'd always think of the day when I'd meet everyone again and find out that they were still safe. Guess, that's not gonna happen."

Clementine hesitated before reaching for Violet's hand and giving it a squeeze. The other girl looked at Clementine's hand before giving her a small smile.

"You know, Minnie and I used to date," Violet said.

Clementine gave her a surprised look. "Really? What happened?"

"It didn't work."

"Oh. That's… sad. So, you were still friends after that?"

"Yeah. There weren't too many of us back at school when shit went down. It was kinda hard to avoid each other so we just ended up talking again. And with Sophie and Tenn being close to me, it was bound to happen."

"Yeah, it probably was," Clementine replied. "Wait, where's AJ?" She'd just realized he was no longer sitting next to her.

"He went back inside just after I came out. I thought you saw him go in…?"

"No, I didn't. You're sure he's inside?"

"He is. So, how was the supply run, other than the Delta part?" Violet asked.

"It wasn't too bad. Louis told me why he got sent to Ericson's," Clementine said, remembering the previous night.

"Poor guy. He had a lot of guilt when he came to school. It took him years to accept and move over what had happened."

"Did all of you have reasons like this?"

"Pretty much," Violet replied. "Mitch used to make these little bombs at home and blow shit up. Finally, his parents got fed up. Tenn was in a horrible fire that took his mom and dad. Sophie and Minnie's parents adopted him and when they couldn't handle him, they sent him to Ericson's."

"And you?" Clementine asked.

"You really wanna know?" Violet looked nervous.

She nodded.

"Mom used to work three jobs at a time because, well, dad was a drunk. I spent most of my childhood at grandma's. After grandpa died, she kinda lost it. She'd sit crying for hours in her room. I didn't know what to do so I just ignored it.

"Until this day she got out grandpa's shotgun and shot herself in the stomach behind me. When my mom found me, I was still watching the TV and I told her that it wasn't like grandma was going anywhere."

"That's… a fucked up thing to see. Why didn't you call the police?"

"Dunno. Something just broke inside me, I guess. All my life I saw people leave and never come back and I think it just got to me."

"Well, you don't have to worry about any of us leaving," Clementine told her, smiling.

Violet gave her a weak smile. "I hope not. We should get inside. I'm sure they're wondering what we're doing out here."

"Yeah, we should. Here." Clementine got up and helped Violet up, making sure she wasn't putting pressure on her healing foot. Guiding her to the door she suddenly halted.

"What?" Violet asked.

Clementine's eyes went back to the trees. "Who's going to tell Aasim that we brought a runaway soldier of a madwoman to his house?"

**A/N: This is another one of my favourite chapters! Reviews, favourites and follows are appreciated :D**


	16. The Calm Before the Storm

The dog in Clementine's dream barked. She shushed him, trying to ignore him and sleep. He kept barking every little while. She couldn't see him though. The sound of his barks carried through but any direction she looked, he was nowhere in sight.

Finally, her eyes opened. She decided to yell at the dog, when she realised it was just a dream. Sighing, she closed her eyes, until she heard the bark again.

It wasn't in her dream.

She sat up straight, straining her ears as she tried to figure out where it was coming from. A minute passed before she heard it again. Something felt off. She couldn't point out what but there was something that wasn't right. She suddenly found herself extremely uncomfortable.

Pushing the blanket off of her, she got to her feet. A sense of déjà vu crept through her as she stood in the same spot as she had, two nights ago. Sweeping the room with her eyes, she noticed everyone asleep.

With the addition of Minnie, the floor was overcrowded with sleeping bodies. Trying to step over them towards the door, her leg finally stepped on something, making her jump.

Her victim hastily sat up, rubbing their hand. "What the fuck?" Clementine heard Brody whisper.

"Fuck," Clementine said, kneeling down next to her. "I didn't mean to."

"What are you doing up at this hour?" She sounded annoyed.

"There was a dog barking. The sound woke me up."

"Dog?" Brody asked, her voice alert now. "Where?"

"Listen." The two of them held still in the dark, listening for the animal. Just as Brody was about to tell Clementine off, the bark came again. "See?"

"What's it doing here? Do you think we should get it inside?"

"I don't like dogs, remember?" Clementine replied. "And something's wrong about this."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. We should wake the others up. Packing can take time."

"This early?"

Clementine couldn't make out Brody completely in the dark, but she knew the girl looked extremely surprised by the way she spoke. "Yes. Trust me on this."

Brody didn't speak for a moment, staring at Clementine. "Okay," she said, finally. She placed her hand on Marlon's shoulder, stirring him awake.

"Mhhm?" he groaned through his sleepy stupor, hoisting himself up on one elbow as he looked around through half-closed eyelids. "What is it?"

"Wake up. It's time to get a move on."

Clementine looked through the dirty window, noticing the first rays of the sun starting to light the darkness up. "It's already dawn. I want to get out of here quickly."

The others were slowly starting to stir with the conversation in the room. The activity in the room suddenly increased as the kids looked around to see what had caused them to awaken. Clementine woke AJ up, too.

"Who the fuck is talking so loudly?" Violet murmured sleepily.

"We're leaving," Clementine told them.

"What? What's wrong with sleeping for a few more hours?" Louis asked.

"It's not safe. Get your bags filled and be ready." She looked at their faces. "Where's Aasim?"

"Looks like he didn't come back last night," Marlon said, staring at the empty blanket near the door. He stood up. "Come on, guys. Let's get back to the road." He watched as everyone cursed him. As they began filling up their bags, he walked over to Clementine. "What's wrong?" he whispered.

She glanced about the room. "I have a bad feeling about this. It's been there at the back of my mind since yesterday. But it's really worrying me now."

He nodded.

Clementine went back to her spot, picking up her knife and sheathing it. She placed everything else that she'd pulled out back into her bag. "We're going to have to divide that," she told them, looking at the grey supply run bag. "If we split it, it'll make it easier to carry."

As she pulled out the contents of the bag, she noticed Minnie talking to Violet out of the corner of her eye. Placing the food on one side and the weapons on the other, she proceeded to put some of the cans into her bag.

Louis appeared next to her and started helping her out. "You okay?"

"Yeah… you slept well?"

"As well as always." He smiled at her. "Go talk to AJ. I'll fill everyone's bags."

"Thanks," she replied, walking over to AJ. "You ready to go, kiddo?" she asked him.

"I think so. My bag doesn't have anything," he said, shrugging.

"That's good. You'll be able to walk more. You have your gun?"

He pulled it out of his waistband, showing it to her.

"Good. Keep it close and use it only when it's necessary, okay? No drawing attention to us," she reminded him again.

"I know, Clem," he replied, rolling his eyes. "You don't have to tell me every time."

She ruffled his hair, smiling. "If only it worked that way, kiddo. Let me finish with my bag, now." As she took her bag back from Louis' side and spun around, she almost crashed into Violet. "Woah, you okay?"

"Uh huh," Violet replied. "Another fall and one of you would have to carry me."

"And let you take the easy route while all of us slog? No chance."

Violet laughed. "I know, I know. I'm joking. Nobody's coming clo- Is that a dog?" she asked, hearing the bark.

The dog was much closer than before. All of them could hear it as clear as day. Everyone stood still as they listened. Clementine's eyes rested upon Minnie. The expression upon the red-haired girl's face fell as she went white with terror. Looking at her, Clementine felt a chill run down her spine.

She understood why the girl was afraid.

"Down!" she yelled as the first bullet crashed through the window.

Everyone threw themselves to the floor, covering their heads as the glass flew over them.

"What the fuck!" Violet exclaimed. "Who is that?"

A voice from outside caught their attention. "I know you're in there, Minnie. You can't hide," it called out.

"It's Beth," Minnie whimpered.

"Fuck! She's here?" Brody asked, her voice panicky.

Clementine pressed her back against the wall, breathing loudly. "AJ, are you okay?"

He nodded, sitting next to her.

She pulled out her gun, releasing the safety catch. Blindly pointing it out of the window, she fired. Even though the shot must have missed by miles, there were yells from outside.

"Fuckin' hell!" she heard one of them yell.

"Minnie, don't make this harder than it has to be! Come on out. There's nowhere to run," Beth called out again.

"What are we gonna do?" Louis asked, his voice shaking.

"We can't fight them," Brody said. "Not again.

"We can't give ourselves up! They could kill us!" Clementine yelled at them.

Another shot flew in through the window, sending more glass flying their way.

"I have one of you out here. I caught him in the forest. Ring any bells?" Beth asked.

The kids looked at each other, confused since all of them were accounted for.

"Aasim?" Louis asked. "He hasn't come back since yesterday."

"Has to be," Clementine responded.

"Fuck," Marlon cursed. "We can't escape from here. There's only one way out and these fuckers have it covered."

"I'm going to kill this boy if you don't come out within the next ten seconds. One... two…" Beth began counting aloud.

"Don't!" they heard Aasim yell.

"Clem, what do we do?" AJ asked. Suddenly, everyone looked at her, expectantly.

Clementine sat still, eyeing the entire room for any way they could make their escape work. There had to be a way. They had some guns, but most of the kids couldn't fire as well as her.

"Clem? She's still counting," Louis urged.

She shook her head. "We're not going out there," she said. "We can make a stand in here. We don't know Aasim enough to give our lives up."

"But… We can't leave him out there! He took us in!"

A scream from outside tore through their conversation. It was Aasim.

"We can't stay in here," Minnie said. "She'll kill him and then come in and kill all of us."

"So, we give ourselves up? Fuck, this can't be happening again," Marlon said, distressed.

"I think she's right," Violet said, softly. "We have to go. We can't have any more deaths. Not after everything we've been through."

There was another scream from Aasim.

"I don't think we can fight them," Brody repeated her words. "They've got the better position and weapons."

"We're really giving ourselves up then?" Louis asked.

Clementine looked hard at their faces. They were all scared. And a gun fight would only mean bloodshed. She swallowed, finally nodding. "Do it," she told Minnie.

Minnie stood up slowly in front of the window, her hands raised in defeat. "Beth? We give up."

There was a pause. "I always knew you were a smart girl. Come on out now. No weapons or I'm going to feed all of you to the walkers," Beth warned them.

"Come on," Louis said. His voice was hollow and his eyes seemed barren.

They got up, dropping whatever weapons they had on them. Walking to the door as their feet crunched over the glass, Clementine slowly opened it, stepping out first.

By the trees, stood a group. She immediately knew who Beth was. The woman seemed to be in her mid-thirties. Her long black hair was left open. The maroon jacket she was wearing seemed similar in design to Minnie's. Her military pants covered the top of her boots. A rifle was slung across her back and she held a knife in her hand, wet with fresh blood.

Clementine knew her from somewhere. Her face was familiar. At her side, stood four men and the dog. She recognised two of them as Ed and the burly man from the previous day. Aasim lay at her feet, breathing heavily. He had no jacket on. His t-shirt had been ripped in several places and long gashes decorated his back, oozing scarlet.

"We gave you everything and yet you decided to run away? You let Ed get shot and then you let them take the bag, too?" Beth asked menacingly, stepping close to Minnie.

Nobody answered.

"Maybe I should have just you let you die after that bite," she continued.

Marlon finally spoke up. "Please. You don't have to do this."

Beth looked at him with disgust. "I hate people who beg. Begging gets you nothing. I'm surprised the walkers haven't gotten you." She sneered.

"That's the girl that shot me," Ed said, pointing at Clementine. His shoulder had been bandaged, though there were still red spots over it.

"So, you're the one that decided it was okay to shoot my men. Maybe losing that hand will teach you some manners."

"He deserved it. All of you deserve the same," Clementine said, her voice betraying no amicability.

"What'd you say?" Without missing a beat, Beth strode to her, swinging her hand into the girl's stomach.

"Clem!" Violet yelled, worried as Clementine doubled over, coughing. "We aren't your fucking dogs. You took from us once before and you're not gonna do the same again!"

"I'm going to do what I want. You can either join us, or you can join the dead."

"Fuck you!" Violet yelled. "You killed Sophie and Tenn!"

Minnie eye's widened as Beth raised her knife. She ran the cold hard steel along Violet's cheek, drawing blood.

"Beth, please." Minnie's voice was quivering.

"Quiet!" Beth smacked her face, sending her to the ground. "Is losing one hand not enough for you?"

Minnie was unable to speak, staring up at her in terror.

"The next time any of you speak, you'll regret it."

Clementine looked at her with hatred in her eyes.

"Ed. Take Tom and see what's useful in the cabin. Remove all their weapons and put it in a bag. Leave everything else in the bags. Let them carry it back home. Such things never go to waste. And find our stolen bag"

The two men nodded, swiftly moving towards the cabin and disappearing through the doorway.

"You're going to die," AJ said suddenly.

Everyone looked at him, shocked. Clementine felt fear for the first time as she saw the anger on Beth's face.

"That's not something a child should say. At your age, you should let the grownups talk," Beth said.

"I know how to use a gun."

"AJ, don't, please…" Clementine tried to stop him.

"Do you?" Beth asked him. "I know how to use a knife. And if I have to use it on you, I will."

Clementine felt the hate for the despicable woman course through her veins. "Don't you fucking talk to him," she growled, clutching her paining stomach.

Beth walked over to her. "Don't make me cut your tongue out. It's not a pleasant sight." She walked back to Aasim, looking down at the bleeding boy with revulsion in her eyes.

"Beth, no…" Minnie pleaded again, holding her aching jaw.

Beth unholstered her gun. Lifting it up, she pointed it at the kids. "This should teach you the lesson."

She fired.


	17. Closing Her Eyes

The world didn't seem any different as the gunshot rang out in the clearing. For an instant, everything seemed normal. The wind still blew through the trees and the walkers still roamed the earth. But in the little clearing, things had changed forever.

"Marlon?" Brody asked, confused as she looked down at her reddening stomach.

The kids looked on in horror as she clutched at the wound, blood seeping out. Marlon ran to her, holding her just as her knees began to give out.

"Brody, no…" he whimpered as his eyes locked with hers.

"It's… I'll be okay… d- don't worry," she said, as she fell to her to her knees.

He laid her down on the ground, kneeling next to her. "Hold the wound… you're gonna be okay." He guided her hands over her wound.

"What…? It hurts, Marlon."

Tears began to roll down the boy's face as he placed one hand on her hands and another on her cheek. "I said… I said you'll be fine. We'll fix you right up. It's… it's not serious, I promise."

"That's… good," she whispered, her eyes unable to focus anymore.

"What? No, Brody, focus! Please! You can't do this to me!"

She coughed, turning her lips bloody. "I-"

"Don't say anything! I'll take care of everything, I swear! Just… don't go… please." He began sobbing.

She tried to smile, wincing with the effort. Raising a hand, she cupped his cheek as he held on it, wishing it could stay there forever. "You know, when you asked me what I want to do… I know. We're going-"

"No! Don't tell me…"

"… to France," she finished. "We'll stay there… until- until we're old and…" Her eyes gazed at the sky as her hand fell limp. She would never snuggle into the boy's chest again. She would never be proud of how far they'd come again. She would never laugh again. She would never do anything again.

"Brody?" Marlon asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He stared at his girlfriend's body, unable to comprehend it. Nothing mattered to him anymore. He didn't move as Beth slowly walked over to them. The second bullet from Beth silenced Brody forever as it went through her skull.

She was gone.

"Guess I picked the right number, then," Beth said.

Clementine's cheeks were wet with her tears. She couldn't believe what had just happened. After all this time, she thought things would be different. But… it wasn't to be so. Brody didn't deserve to die such a meaningless death.

Her eyes travelled to their captor. "You…" she began.

"I told you, if I heard another word, you would regret it. And I make good on my promises," Beth replied, putting her gun back.

Clementine turned her head to the side, noticing Violet's tear-stained face looking back at her. The blonde girl shook her head, discouraging her from picking a fight. They had lost enough today.

"Now, unless more of you to want to meet this fate, I suggest we go home. Isn't that right Minnie?" Beth continued.

Minnie nodded through her sobs.

"Good." Ed and Tom returned with the grey bag. Opening it up, they showed her all the weapons they'd collected from the bags. "That's quite a bit," Beth commented. "Anything else left?"

"No," Ed replied, shaking his head. "Nothin' else."

"Well, no use waiting here then. Take the kids in and make them carry the stuff. You kids are going to behave, right?"

Clementine felt numb. AJ stood next to her, silent. She took his hand and followed Ed back to the cabin. Stepping in through the doorway, she reached for her bag. Beth said they'd been checked. She opened it to see if AJ's drawings were still in there. Immediately, she was roughly pushed aside by the man.

"Don't fuckin' open the bag, kid. Just put it on and get out. All of you, pick your own damn bags."

She looked at the other kids. None of them made eye contact as they did what they were told. They shuffled out of the house under Ed and Tom's supervision, slowly making their way back to the clearing once they were done.

The two other men were busy taking care of walkers that were attracted by the gunshots. Marlon, on the other hand, hadn't moved an inch. He still held onto Brody's hand against his cheek.

"Minnie," Beth said. "Move him. Don't make me waste another bullet."

Minnie made her way to his side, talking to him. Clementine couldn't hear what she was saying, but the boy stood up. He made no effort to move around on his own, simply going where Minnie took him.

"What about this kid?" one of the men asked, pointing at Aasim.

"Get him up. We'll take him with us. We're short on people as it is."

They watched as Tom lifted Aasim up. The dark-haired boy was barely able to stand on his own, blood still slowly seeping out of his wounds. His face was a montage of red and maroon.

Taking a step towards the kids, he collapsed, unable to walk by himself. He tried to get up again, his face contorting with the pain. Clementine knew he couldn't walk on his own and she didn't know what else Beth was capable of.

Walking to Aasim's side, she helped him up, pulling his arm over her shoulder. She took care to not press against his wounds, although she'd already gotten some of his blood on her jacket.

"You're okay," she whispered to him.

"I'm sorry for your friend," he replied, his words slurry.

"That's enough talk," Beth said. "Let's get moving." The woman began heading away from the cabin, her dog's leash in her hand. Ed and Tom followed her.

The remaining two men prodded the kids in the back with their rifles, prompting them to start walking. Clementine couldn't move too quickly with Aasim leaning against her. He wasn't heavy but it certainly wasn't easy for her.

She heard the footsteps of the other kids around her. AJ walked beside Louis and Violet, while Minnie and Marlon brought up the rear. None of them said anything, as they traversed through the forest somberly, blindly following their captors.

"Thanks," Aasim said. "I'm really sorry about Brody."

Clementine replied with a nod, not wanting to talk about it. Being alone with AJ for so long, she'd nearly forgotten what people were capable of. Anger coursed through her veins as her eyes fixed onto Beth. If she had a chance, Beth would have joined the walkers by now.

The other kids had been through this ordeal twice now, making for a ghastly scenario. Both times they had lost their friends. They looked broken, particularly Marlon. He hadn't uttered a word since he held her in his arms, his vacant eyes just following the path.

Louis hadn't said anything either. His legs seemed to move of their own accord. Violet had her hand on AJ's shoulder as if guiding him along with the others. Her free hand wiped any stray tears that appeared.

Clementine suddenly stumbled while trying to support Aasim. She narrowly avoided tumbling to the ground, regaining her balance in the nick of time.

Aasim pulled his arm off her shoulder. "I can walk. I think." He slowly tried taking steps on his own. He looked to be in pain, but it appeared to not deter him.

"Hey, keep moving!" one of the men behind her yelled out.

Once Clementine was sure he could walk on his own, she turned her attention away. Slowing down, she waited until AJ, Louis and Violet were next to her. Violet made place for her, allowing her to walk next to AJ.

AJ looked up at her, suddenly hugging her.

"Hey! I said keep it fucking moving!"

"Don't stop," Clementine told them. "Don't give them another reason."

"What do we do now?" Violet asked.

"Nothing. We can't fight them right now. We've already lost Brody and… I don't want to lose anymore of you."

Violet nodded back at her.

"It was so sudden," Louis finally spoke. "I… I didn't think this would happen again."

"Me neither," Violet replied. "We can figure out what to do once we're at Delta. I don't think we can escape."

Clementine shook her head. "We can't try that." She glanced at AJ. "I'm not trying that. We do as they say and maybe when we're alone, we can find a way out. Until then, we stay put."

"Yeah, I think that's for the best," Louis replied.

The road came within sight with the trees clearing out. Beth halted as she pulled out her knife. She drove it in from under a walker's face, right into its brain. Nearly tearing its jaw off, she pulled her knife out and began walking alongside the road.

In a few minutes, they came upon two vans. They looked like some sort of carrier vans, with the two front doors and another set right at the back. There were no windows on the sides, rather, only at the back of the vans.

Beth looked at Clementine. "Split her and the child up," she instructed, much to Clementine's horror. "That'll make sure she doesn't do anything stupid."

Ed opened the door to one van, shoving Clementine, Louis and Violet into it. He slammed it shut. They could see what was behind the van through the glass of the doors but there wasn't any handle inside the van to open the door. The driver's cabin and the back had been effectively divided with no way to know what was happening on either side. They sat down on the seats facing each other.

"AJ will be okay," Violet tried to reassure Clementine. "We're going to be just fine. You okay, Lou?"

Louis shook his head, clearly still shaken. He leaned back. "Fuck… did you see Marlon?"

"Yeah, he doesn't look too good. First we got Minnie back and then we lost Brody."

A fist suddenly beat the divider between them and the men. "Keep it quiet back there!" the man said before the van started and began moving.

"The other van's got Minnie, Marlon, AJ and Aasim," Violet whispered.

"Yeah. There's no way to get out of here," Clementine said.

"Can you break the glass?"

"Too risky. And what would we do by getting out of the van? They've still got four of us. I'm not letting another one of us die." She looked at Louis. "Louis?" Clementine asked trying to get him to focus.

"Lou?" Violet laid a hand on his shoulder which seemed to draw his attention. It was a gesture he had rarely seen from her.

"Yeah, I'm here," he finally replied. "Fuck… I don't want to fight them. We can talk to them, maybe?"

"I don't think so. And for what she did to us, she's going to pay."

Louis stayed silent. "You know, it could just as well have been me. And Brody would be sitting here, talking to you and you guys would be talking about me."

"It could have been any of us, Louis," Clementine said. "But it's not. We can't let Brody die in vain. We're not going to be their slaves."

"But they've got a gun! And what if-"

An audible splattering sound filled their ears. There was a yell before the vehicle suddenly veered to the side.

"What the f…" Violet exclaimed before all three of them were thrown against the divider. Clementine felt her forehead slam against the hard plastic, sending a blinding pain running through her skull. Gravity suddenly seemed turned to one side as she hit her head again, this time on the side of the van, knocking her out.

**A/N: This was a chapter that took a while to get right and capture everyone's emotions. Hope you enjoyed as much as I did writing this! Reviews, favourites and follows are immensely appreciated :D**


	18. A Change of Fate

_Clementine stood in the jewelry store. It was exactly as she remembered it- the shutter closed, the dead walker in the security room, the blood marring the floor, the radiator in the side of the room, and handcuffed to that, Lee. _

_She watched his pale face, the final moments of the man she'd come to know. It was as if the blood had drained out from his body. He sat there, barely comprehending the world around. Not the dead walker, not the gun in her hand, not the growls of the thousands of walkers outside the store could draw her attention away from Lee's arm._

_The bite._

_All it had taken for Lee to get infected was one small mistake, a mistake she would regret all her life. _

_She raised her gun, having resigned herself to the fact that this was what Lee wanted. She could see his eyes on her, the sorrow in them as he faced a humane execution._

_The gun trembled in her hands. She was unable to face him. She tore her eyes away from Lee, turning her head to her side as she closed her eyes. The tears streamed freely down her cheeks as she pressed the trigger._

Clementine's eyes felt heavy as she opened them. Everything seemed a blur. Her head felt like it was being pierced with a hot iron rod. It felt like she was in a dark room, though there was a sudden white in the blackness.

Reaching out with her hand, she couldn't figure out where she was, unable to see beyond the floating objects. She couldn't recognize what they were, simply misshapen blobs in her sight. As her vision focused, she realised she was lying on her back.

Her legs were bent at an awkward angle, paining them. The hard floor hurt her back as her mind worked to understand the situation she was in.

Everything came back to her.

The van had most probably flipped onto its side.

Moving her hand, she felt glass shift under her fingers, hissing as it cut her. Looking to her left, she noticed the damaged doors and the broken windows of the van. They must have shattered upon impact, sending glass flying inside. She could see the light enter through the bent doors, although it didn't do much to tell her where the van was laying.

Violet and Louis lay next to her, unconscious. They were still breathing but they definitely weren't awake. Clementine touched her forehead, only to find more blood staining her fingers. She could feel the blood pumping in her head and the bump starting to form. Cursing, she tried to sit up, hastily abandoning the attempt as more pain ran through her body.

She took deep breaths, hoping she hadn't broken any bones. Most of the pain seemed to emanate from her head. Her shoulder had to be bruised with the impact considering how much it hurt when she moved her hand. Turning her head to the side, she tried to wake her friends up, only to be rewarded with silence.

Making another attempt to get up, she succeeded this time, pushing herself against the side to lean. The door could probably be opened if she kicked it. Getting into position, she took aim. She rammed the door with her foot, exhaling sharply as her leg suddenly stretched itself, nearly shocking her with the pain.

One of the doors opened, allowing her enough space to crawl through to the outside. Rubbing her leg, she prepared to escape the van. She got on her knees and slowly crawled out. Trying to stand up, she failed miserably, laying down onto the fallen leaves and dirt.

She stared as her heavy breath moved the leaves and dust in front of her mouth. She tasted the ground but was in no position to actually do something about it. Seconds passed… or minutes, before she tried to look at her surroundings. The van had indeed turned onto its side. It had probably veered off the road, flipping onto its side and then crashing into the tree.

The road was close by. She couldn't figure out what had caused the crash though. Or what that splattering sound was. It wasn't a good idea just laying out in the open. Besides, Louis and Violet were out cold. She had to find out what had happened.

She lifted herself off the ground, groaning with the effort. She got onto her feet, swaying as she tried to find her balance. The other van wasn't in sight. Taking a step forward, she reached out to the van for support, lest she fell again.

Slowly moving along the van, she made it to the driver's cabin. The front window was cracked, speckled with red drops. The driver had a gaping hole in his forehead, slumped sideways on the door. The other door was open and their second captor was missing. They had to have been attacked.

"Fuck…" she exhaled, realising she could be in the midst of a fight. Looking around, she couldn't find anything. Everything seemed dead silent. There were no walkers but it would only be a matter of time before they were all over this place.

She had to find a way to keep all of them safe. Clutching her shoulder to hopefully ease the pain, she started moving to the back of the van as quick as she could, when she came face to face with the other man.

Only, he wasn't human anymore.

Its white eyes stared back at her as its mouth opened, growling. Clementine froze for an instant, allowing the walker its chance.

It lunged at her, trying to snap at her face. She pressed her arm against its neck, barely holding on as she felt her feet slipping backwards. Taking a deep breath, she shoved it, miraculously sending it to the ground. However, the effort imbalanced her too as she fell onto her side, feeling dizzy with the pain.

There were no weapons on her to strike them into the walker's head. She suddenly felt pressure on her toes through her boots. Looking down, she realised with horror that the walker was trying to get through her boots. It was the closest thing to it and it had latched onto that.

"Fuck you!" she exclaimed, whacking its head with her other foot. It didn't seem to notice as the other boot mercilessly battered against the top of its head. Finally, its teeth slipped off the boot. It growled in annoyance trying to get back to its meal, but Clementine had already scrambled away from it.

The girl ran her hands through the leaves, trying to find anything to aid her. That's when she felt the sharp edge.

She grabbed at the weapon desperately, noticing that the walker was dragging itself closer. Her hand closed around it, picking it up. It was a shard of glass from the window. It had already turned crimson at the edges with the cuts it had made as she'd grasped it.

The pain made no difference to Clementine. The adrenalin roared through her as she rolled away from the walker and brought the sharp glass down onto its head. It fell limp immediately.

Leaving the glass embedded in its head, she laid down on her back, her chest rising and falling with the exertion. She felt tired as the ache took handle. The rapid beating of her heart seemed to fill her ears. All the energy she had had appeared to leave her.

She could hear footsteps now. Trying to blink the blood and sweat out of her eyes, she tried to drag herself to the safety of the van but she couldn't lift her limbs.

The voices were barely audible but they were moving closer. Craning her neck to find out who it was, her body finally gave up, her vision fading as her head hit the soft ground. The last thing she saw was a man with a rifle pointed at her.


	19. Miletus

Clementine opened her eyes. The sudden light caused her to recoil. She tried to move her hand to shield her eyes from the intrusion but she couldn't. She was restrained by something. Groaning, she waited until her eyes had adjusted.

"AJ!" she exclaimed, suddenly remembering about him. Frantically looking around, she found no sign of him. Things were still hazy in her head as she struggled to recall the events that had gotten here.

She was on a bed in a room. There were several empty beds in there with a few wall cabinets. Medical equipment filled the room. A table sat next to her bed, containing a bloody cloth and some thread.

Her free hand immediately travelled to her forehead, remembering the wound. It had been bandaged and her cap had been removed, which was nowhere to be found in the room. Her right shoulder had also been bandaged. Her jacket lay on the chair in front of her bed.

The windows had been covered by white curtains. She could hear the sounds from outside of men and women talking and… kids? Her thoughts instantly flew to finding a way out. There was no way she was going to remain somebody's prisoner.

The dull throb echoed in her head, making it very difficult for her to concentrate. Sitting up slowly, she proceeded to try and free her hand, realising in the process that she was handcuffed to the bed railing. Cursing, she looked around for the key.

There it was, on the bed next to hers on the left.

She steadily got up from the bed over the railing, trying not to lose her balance. A feeling of light-headedness had engulfed her, now that she was on her feet. The handcuff cut off any mobility away from the bed, but it allowed her just enough to retrieve the key.

The lock sprung open and Clementine massaged her wrist. Her shoes lay at the bedside. Pulling them on as fast she could, she took the support of the bed, attempting to arrange her thoughts. Her priority was to get out of here and find the others. As far as her experience had taught her, prisoners were never locked up far away from each other.

She wore her jacket and proceeded to try the door. Unsurprisingly, it was locked. Cursing again, she decided her next option was the window. That, however, provided no better means of escape. It had been sealed shut. A small garden was all she could see from it and the wall. Her next bet would be to pick the lock.

Whoever had stitched her up hadn't left the tools for her to find as easily as she'd found the key. However, they'd clearly forgotten she could still check a cabinet. Opening one, she gazed at it in wonderment. It was lined with medicines and other tools. It was a very well stocked infirmary, to say the least. She hadn't seen so many bottles in one place in forever. Maybe she could grab something and keep it for the group.

A voice from outside distracted her from her task. It seemed close, prompting her to arm herself with the knife lying at the side. She stared at the door. Perhaps she could overpower whoever it was and escape. That was the best plan she could muster in the circumstances, especially with that heavy pounding in her head that made all kinds of things seem absolutely plausible.

The voice was right outside the door when Clementine jumped behind it. The handle clicked and the door swung open as the man let himself in. He must have noticed the empty bed since without taking a further step, he simply turned around in the doorway and closed the door behind him, swearing under his breath.

Clementine waited until the footsteps had died away. Now was her chance to sneak out. Tightly grasping the knife in her fingers, she crept out of the unlocked door.

"Going somewhere?"

The man's voice caught her off-guard. He sat on a bench to her left, looking right at her. She was in a short passageway with rooms to the sides of the one she'd just escaped from. A short wall ran across the passage in front of her that faced the street. A small set of stairs broke the wall in the middle. She could spot houses and a few people moving about.

"I'm not stupid, you know? There was no way you could have escaped," he continued. His tucked in shirt and grey pants, along with his stubble and greying hair gave him the appearance of someone in charge.

Clementine still had the knife clutched in her hand. It was a long shot but she could probably take him down and find the others.

The man, however, seemed to look right through her. "Not a good idea. I'm not here to hurt you. If anything, we can help you."

"What do you mean?" she asked dubiously.

"How about you hand me the knife, first? You won't come to any harm, not unless you do something like stab one of my people." He held out his empty hand.

She hesitantly eyed him before walking up to him and handing him the weapon.

"Good. Sit," he commanded.

Clementine chose the wall as a good place to be seated. It was across the man and wasn't too close for her comfort.

"I'm Jonathan," he introduced himself. He waited for her to do the same.

"Clementine," she finally said.

"You had a lot of wounds when we found you," he told her. "Our doctor, Anne, she fixed you up. Your friends got off much easier."

"Where are they?"

"Eating. They were hungry so Alex took them to the kitchens. Both of-"

"Both?" she asked, things becoming much clearer now. Beth, Brody, the van crash, the walker, the voices, all of it was coming back to her.

"We found only three of you when that van crashed."

"So, AJ isn't here?" Her heart sank as she asked him.

"There's no AJ here. There was another van, but that got away. Your friend was probably in that one, which was our target."

"You attacked us? We could've gotten killed," Clementine said, the anger seeping into her voice.

The man shrugged. "And we would've been sorry about that. But it was necessary. Delta needed to be taken down. And the only way to do that, would be through Beth."

"How do you know about them?"

"We've been fighting Delta ever since Beth took charge. She goes around attacking smaller settlements and capturing their people to trade and train for their war. Your friends told me you were one of her unlucky prisoners. And she killed one of you."

Brody. She'd killed Brody. The one person that didn't deserve that fate.

"I'm sorry to hear that," the man continued. He didn't seem particularly sorry, though. "Beth is known for making an example out of things."

"I saw that." She glanced around. Things seemed quite serene for the moment as people ran about, doing their own work. She caught some of them glimpsing at her. "I want to see Louis and Violet."

"They'll be here soon enough. Anne has given me strict instructions to keep you in the infirmary, and she's not someone to disobey. So, you go and lie down and I'll send your friends in."

"So, this isn't Delta or one of their alliances?"

He shook his head. "Not in the least. We're against their way of survival. This is a place of hope, for people to come and live peacefully."

"What's this place called then?"

"You must have missed the sign we've got outside. This is Miletus."

* * *

Clementine lay in the bed as she waited for Violet and Louis to arrive. A constant gnawing worry about AJ had risen within her. She didn't know how he was going to survive without her. She'd always been there for him his entire life, and without her… it scared her that something would happen to him.

Marlon had lost Brody, a wound that would most probably run deep. Until they rescued everyone, she doubted she would feel peace within her mind. None of them deserved to be captured like this.

As the thoughts trailed around inside her head, multiple footsteps outside the door and an all-too-familiar voice let her know that Louis and Violet had returned.

"You can stop breathing down my neck now. I'm not going to run away," Violet said, irritated, as the door opened. "Clem! You okay?"

Clementine instantly felt relieved seeing her two friends. "Yeah. Other than a couple of injuries, I'm fine. How are you guys doing?"

"Pretty good. Neither of us had any major wounds. You seem to have gotten the brunt of it," Louis said. It was good seeing him be himself again, after their horrible morning.

"I did, yeah. How's this place look?"

"Other than that creep watching my every move, not too bad. The food is good, though. Or maybe we just haven't eaten properly in a long time," Violet said.

"He's not a creep, Vi," Louis replied. "He's only doing his job of watching the newcomers. You hungry, Clem?"

Clementine nodded, realising she hadn't eaten since last night. No wonder she felt weak. She watched as Louis left the room, presumably to fetch her some food.

"You thinking about Brody?" Violet asked, suddenly downcast.

"Yeah. It was just today morning but it feels like weeks ago."

"There was a lot I should have said to her, you know? She'd always been the big sister to all of us. I don't know what we're going to do without her. And Minnie. Shit, we just got her back and now she's facing Beth again now. All of them must be at Delta by now." Violet sat down on the bed.

"Yeah." Clementine felt the worry weigh down upon her again. "We're going to have to get them back. All of them."

"We can't do that with you like this. Your wounds aren't going to allow much action."

"I know. I'll be up within no time. You feel safe here?"

Violet shrugged. "Can't say for sure. It feels safe but, you never know right? Things always go bad. We're just going to have to stay on our guard."

"That's what I thought too. How's Louis holding up?"

"He's seen better days. Every time he's around people, he seems himself again. But any time he's by himself, reality sets in. I don't think even I'm over what's happened."

"Me neither. And Jonathan? Did he talk to you?" Clementine asked.

"He's the one in charge here. They were the ones that attacked the van. Something about taking down…"

"Delta. He told me that. I don't know if it's a good or a bad thing that we're free and everyone else is locked up in there, alone. Even AJ… fuck…"

Louis walked in, carrying a steaming bowl. He handed it to Clementine and sat down at the end of the bed along with Violet. It was a bowl full of soup and vegetables.

"They grow all of this here," Louis informed them. "Imagine never having to go hungry because you grow your own food."

"That does sound tempting," Clementine replied, taking a sip. Instantly, the heat washed over her as her mouth burst with the flavor. "This is really good."

"It is," Violet said. She looked around. "I haven't been to any place like this. Ever since the outbreak, it was just Ericson's and then the Forest House."

"I've done this a few times. None of them ended too well though."

"So, what were you guys talking about?" Louis asked.

"Everything that's happened. We're going to have to figure out a way to rescue the others," Clementine said.

Louis looked tense, but knew it was something that had to be done. If he was captured, the others would do the same for him. "What's the plan then?"

"We need to find a way into Delta. None of us have seen the place, so we might have to improvise a little."

"I'm okay with that," Violet replied. "And while we're at it, maybe we can give some of those fuckers what they deserve."

"Maybe. But we need to make sure none of us get hurt. I'd rather get out without alerting them, honestly."

"I agree with Clem's plan here. In and out before they know. That way, all of us will be safer."

Before any of them could continue their discussion, the door swung open and in walked a woman. Her brunette hair fell over her white coat as she stepped towards the bed. Clementine assumed this to be Anne, the doctor Jonathan was talking about.

"I thought I gave clear instructions that you were to rest. You're not going to get back out there until you're back to normal," Anne said.

"We were just checking up on her. We'll leave," Louis said, getting to his feet.

The woman raised an eyebrow at Violet, waiting for her to leave the room too.

"Fine," Violet conceded. "We're going, for fuck's sake. We'll be back later, Clem. Rest up until then." With that, the two of them left the room.

"There, now that you have no disturbances, you can sleep off those wounds. I'll be back to check in a little while."

Clementine watched Anne disappear through the doorway. A sense of annoyance had filled her at being told what to do. She wasn't used to that feeling and neither did she ever want to. There were lots of things that would need to be done once she was better. Sighing, she closed her eyes, walking into the storm of thoughts in her head.


	20. Photographs

_Flames._

_Death._

_Destruction._

_Slaughter._

_McCaroll Ranch._

_AJ._

_The Infinites._

The sunlight pouring in through the window roused Clementine from her disturbed sleep. Yawning, she pulled herself to reality. Her hand instinctively reached for the space beside her, instead, finding nothing.

Her eyes snapped open as she sat upright, her sleep vanishing within an instant. AJ wasn't there. She looked down to the side, noticing Louis and Violet asleep on the mattresses that were laid on the floor.

Clementine sighed, realising everything that had happened was not a nightmare. It was very much real. She looked around at the room she was housed in. Jonathan had offered to let them stay for a while. The room was quite bare, save for the necessities like the bed, chairs, table and a large dark brown closet.

The white walls seemed to have been painted recently. The bathroom door was right opposite her bed and the room door was to her right, across the mattresses. Pulling the covers off of her, she got up. Her cap lay by her bedside, as well as her bag. Their stuff had been recovered from the van, thankfully, which meant she still had most of her belongings, save for her weapons.

She lingered at the foot of the mattresses, debating whether to awaken Violet and Louis. Deciding against it, she stepped past them and let herself out of the room. The bedroom opposite hers was still shut. A staircase to her left led downstairs.

Holding onto the handrails, she slowly made her way down, still slightly dizzy. She noticed the photos along the wall. She recognised Jonathan from them, but not the boy and the woman, although, it was safe to assume that they were his wife and child.

Reaching the bottom, across was the main door. To the left was the living room and to her right was the kitchen. Light spilled in from all the windows around. The sounds coming from the kitchen told her to head over there. She walked in to find Jonathan sitting at the table, eating. A hot, steaming mug accompanied his food.

"You're awake early," he remarked, looking up from his breakfast.

"Yeah, I've been told that a lot," she replied.

"How's the head feel? And the shoulder?"

"Better than yesterday. Still feels dizzy, though."

Jonathan gestured at a chair at the table, waiting for her to sit down. "It's a pretty nasty cut on your head. Might take a while. Your shoulder should be healing faster, though." He took a sip from his mug. "There's some coffee on the counter, if you'd like."

Clementine nodded. She picked out a mug from the wall cabinet, pouring some hot water into it and mixing it with the milk powder. Adding a spoonful of the coffee powder, she stirred the hot liquid, reveling in the feeling of holding a hot mug of coffee in her hands.

She sipped some of it, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the first taste of coffee in months. The warm mug felt comfortable in her hands as she headed back to the table.

"I'll arrange for some clothes for the three of you, if you don't have any," Jonathan said. "There should be enough people with your size. Check the closet too. There should be some that might fit you."

"Thanks," Clementine replied.

"There's some breakfast for you over in that pot there." He pointed towards the counter. "Jared had his, so it's just for the three of you now. Finish it off."

"Jared?"

"My son. He's out on watch right now. Should be back home any minute."

Almost as if on cue, the front door opened and a young man entered with disheveled black hair. Clementine pinned him at a few years elder to her. He wore a brown jacket and blue jeans. He pulled off the rifle slung across his back and propped it against the stairs. Making his way over to the kitchen, he cast a curious glance towards Clementine, before proceeding to talk to Jonathan.

"Dad, you could've told me at least. I learnt about it from Anne when I went to talk about our meds situation."

"I couldn't, Jared. Gareth picked the group. He didn't want any leaks."

"And look what that got you," Jared replied. "She got away anyway. I could have helped. All you had to do was tell me."

"You know I can't disobey the Council. It doesn't work that way."

For an instant, an anger showed up on Jared's face, quickly dissipating. He sighed. "Come on dad, you've gotta start letting me take part in these things. If I'm ever going to be on the Council, I need to know how things work."

"You'll take part in it when we think you're ready, okay? Let it go for now." Jonathan gestured at Clementine. "This is Clementine. We found her and two of her people at the wreck. Beth had taken them prisoner. She escaped with the other prisoners."

Jared stared at Clementine for a long second as if wondering what he should do. "I'm Jared," he introduced himself, extending his hand to her.

Hesitating before shaking it, her mind told her there was something very familiar about him. Maybe she'd seen him before, but where? Casting the thoughts out of her head, she returned to her coffee as Jonathan spoke.

"Are you returning to the Hall?" he asked.

"No. I wanted to check things outside. We need to put out some roamer traps. I'll work on that," Jared replied. With that, he hastily left the house.

"What's the Council?" Clementine asked.

"It's kind of like a democracy. I'm the one in charge here, but there's a Council for designated tasks. Someone looks after the weaponry, another after the food, supply runs, fortifications and all that. I make sure everyone does their job," Jonathan replied.

It sounded a little like the New Frontier to her, although there was no one in charge over the four leaders there. Maybe this place wouldn't fall like the Frontier did, victim to the whims and fancies of one of the leaders.

"So, you've always been at Miletus?"

"No. I came here a couple of years ago. Just before Beth took over and started attacks on us. I think I told you that yesterday, didn't I? Anyway, been here since then. It used to be a just a simple town. Still is, just with better walls."

"Do you know Beth?" Clementine asked.

He shook his head. "Got to know about her when she attacked us once."

"And they've never succeeded?" Clementine was surprised to see a place that had stood for this long.

"You sound surprised. No, they didn't attack us too many times. They did take out a large supply run group that we had sent. None of us could figure out how they knew about it. Lost twelve good men and women that day." He stood up and carried his plate and mug to the sink. "I'm going to have to go now. Normally, I'd ask you three to earn your keep. But since you're new and wounded thanks to us, I'll give you a day off."

"Thanks," Clementine said, unsure of how else to reply to him.

"You're welcome. I'll be back by evening." He kept his washed utensils in a stand and made his way into his bedroom.

Clementine finished her coffee before following his example and washing the mug. She decided to eat once Louis and Violet were awake. She returned to the bedroom, finding them up and talking to each other.

"Hey," Louis greeted her as she entered the room. "We were wondering where you were."

"I was downstairs with Jonathan. I was asking him about this place. I met his son, Jared too. And had some coffee," Clementine said. She quickly recounted the details of their encounter.

"His son anything like him?" Violet asked.

"Doesn't seem like it. The attack on us yesterday wasn't too well known. It was just a few people who'd planned it. Something about leaks."

"So, his own son didn't know?" Louis asked.

Clementine shook her head. "Weird family, I guess. We got the day free though since they caused our injuries."

"Okay. I wouldn't mind some coffee, you know?" Violet said. "Haven't had that since Ericson's."

Clementine sat down on the bed. "AJ used to really like coffee. I'd found some and made it for his birthday. Or at least, I think it was his birthday. Either way, he loved it. Ever since then, I'd always look for more to give him."

"We'll get them all back," Violet said. "We're not going to let that bitch win again."

Louis looked up at her. "I know we need to get them back but I have no idea where to begin. We don't even know where Delta is, forget how it looks or how we even get in and leave undetected with even more people."

"It does sound difficult," Clementine said. "But there must be something that we can use."

"Maybe we can ask Jonathan for help?"

"Not yet. We barely know him."

"I agree," Violet said. "With Clem. We need to do this carefully. We don't want things blowing up in our face."

"So, what do you suggest then?" Louis asked, standing up.

"I don't know," Clementine replied. "It's time I changed the wound dressings," she said, changing the subject. "Anne said I should do it in the morning."

"Yeah. I've got the bandages in my bag. Take off the old ones and I'll give you these," Violet said, opening her bag in hunt of the new dressing. "Wash the wound too."

Clementine loosened the bandage wrapped around her head, slowly unwinding it. Pulling it off carefully, she placed it onto the bedside table and went to the bathroom. Opening the door, she stood in front of the mirror and the basin, looking at her reflection. A tired and haggard girl looked back at her, a stitched-up gash at the top of her forehead.

She stared at the mirror for a long minute before locking the door. Peeling off her jacket and t-shirt, she observed all her scars and wounds. It was a battlefield of injuries sustained in the past, right from knives to bullets. The New Frontier tattoo still sat upon her arm, reminding her of the time she'd lost AJ, only miraculously getting him back.

Things seemed to repeat themselves in the apocalypse. Finding people, making a home and then losing it to people that had no regard for others. It was a recurring theme, one that Clementine had hoped would end when she met the kids. AJ was her reason for trying and with him gone, she almost felt like it wasn't worth it anymore.

The thoughts still swam around in her head as she opened the tap and felt the water flow onto her fingertips. Scooping up some water, she splashed it onto her face, carefully cleaning the wound. It still burned at the very touch of her fingers, but the water did seem to soothe it. She quickly washed her arms too and proceeded to do the same for her shoulder after removing the dressing.

Thankfully, only a bruise greeted her from under the bandage. It had turned reddish now, but other than that, it didn't hurt as much as her head.

A knock at the door drew her attention away. "Clem? Here are the bandages," Violet said.

Clementine pulled her t-shirt on and opened the door, taking the bandages from the girl. Closing the door again, she placed it down beside the basin. Deciding to tie it over her t-shirt, she slowly wrapped it around her shoulder, finding it quite it difficult to do it by herself.

After several failed attempts, she finally succeeded. Looking in the mirror, she made sure it was tied up properly. She finished up her head wound dressing much quicker and exited the bathroom, carrying her jacket in her hand. "That took a while," she said to Louis and Violet.

"Clem? Louis?" Violet asked. She was standing in front of the open closet, staring intently at something in her hands.

"Yeah?" Clementine walked up to Violet along with Louis.

"Take a look at this." Violet handed a photograph to them.

It was a woman holding hands with a man and smiling into the camera. Only, Clementine recognised the woman. Feeling a chill run down her spine, she remembered the photo she had in the diary she'd found in the store with AJ.

Rushing to her bag, she rummaged around for the book, pulling it out. Holding it open, the photograph tumbled out of the pages, falling onto the bed. She picked it up. It was the exact same photo Violet had found.

She turned it around, reading the message behind it.

'2001: The Beth Rivers and Matthew Smith Home – Love, Jonathan'. She turned it around again. The woman in the photo was Beth, the leader of Delta.

**A/N: Well, hope you enjoyed that! Let me know what you thought of it by leaving a review :D **


	21. Searching for Answers

Clementine handed the photograph to Violet and Louis, watching as their expressions turned to one of confusion. The fact that the same photo was lying in a closet in Jonathan's house, provided no room for any doubt that the photo was given by him. But there arose far too many questions if that was the case. She couldn't understand what the photo was doing with the walker in the store.

"Where'd you find this photo?" Violet asked, turning it over repeatedly, letting it sink in.

"When I was with AJ before I met you. It was with a walker in a store. I remember thinking that the walker didn't seem to be as old as the others," Clementine replied. She paused. "Now that I think of it, it did look like the man in this photo."

"So, the man and Beth were… together?" Louis asked. "But what does that make Jonathan?"

"Don't know. But they do know each other. He probably sent one copy to them and kept one for himself. But why keep a photo of someone you hate?"

"It doesn't make sense. What does he have to do with them?"

"No idea," Clementine said. "Are there any more in the closet?"

"Let me check," Violet replied, digging into the drawers to find anything that would help them understand what was going on. "Found something," she announced, pulling out a couple more photos.

They passed around the newfound items to each other, taking a close look at the people in them. One of them had Jonathan and Beth posing for the camera. The two of them looked considerably younger than they did now. There didn't appear to be any enmity between them. On the contrary, the two of them looked joyous.

The second photo was of Jonathan holding a baby in his hand. By his side stood a woman, who was also in the photos along the staircase wall. Beth and Matthew were also in the photo.

"Looks like a family to me," Violet observed. "Here. This woman is probably Jonathan's wife. And this is…"

"Jared," Clementine answered. "At least, I think it is."

"Yeah, me too," Louis said. "But what happened? Last I checked, Jonathan was trying to kill Beth."

"They fell apart? I mean, that's what usually happens to people, even family. Maybe she joined Delta and he didn't like that?"

"But going as far as trying to kill each other? That's gotta be something horrible, right?"

"Could be," Violet said. "Finding out their link could help us with Delta and getting the others back."

"It will," Clementine immediately said. "We just need to find him and ask him about this."

"Did he say where he was going to be? That could help us in finding him," Louis suggested.

"No. But he isn't home. Neither is Jared. That gives us the chance to search his room."

"You sure you want to do that, Clem? I don't imagine he'll be very happy if he catches us in there."

"It doesn't matter. We should know what other secrets this guy has. I don't want to stay with someone who could sell us out," Violet said.

Clementine felt anger wash over her at Jonathan. He knew who Beth was and had lied to her. He could have told her sooner and they'd already have a plan, instead of wasting an entire day, a day with AJ separated from her. She folded the photos and pocketed them before leading the trio downstairs. They paused outside Jonathan's bedroom door, looking at it. The door clicked open as Clementine turned the handle.

The curtains had been pulled over the windows, making the room much darker than the outside. The light coming in through the orange curtains gave the room a warm glow. A large bed jutted out from the opposite wall into the middle of the room, with small bedside tables by its sides. A study table sat on one side of the room, near the window, along with a chair. Papers and books sat atop the table, delicately balanced. Bookshelves ran along the walls, filled with countless books, interrupted only by the bathroom door and the closets.

Clementine walked over to one of the bedside tables and picked up the photo frame. It was one of Jonathan's family. She placed it down and picked up the second, only to see the same. She strode over to the other table and examined the other photo frames. She only found photos of the three.

"None of them have Beth. Or Matthew," Clementine told Louis and Violet.

"Maybe the closet has something," Violet said, trying to open the closet door. "Shit, this is locked. See if you can find the key."

Louis made his way over to the study table. Cursorily glancing at the papers, he picked one up at random, trying to read it. "This looks like the drawing for some kind of electricity generation. Explains how this place has lights." He put the paper back and picked up a book. "101 Ways to Grow Your Vegetables," he read. "Looks like they really have this place running."

"Jonathan said he was in-charge here," Clementine remembered. "Maybe he was figuring out ways to keep the community surviving. Still doesn't tell us what his connection to Delta is." She opened the drawer to the bedside table. "Here's a key, Violet," she said, finding a key in there and handing it to the blonde girl. "Try it out."

Violet opened the closet, only to be greeted with clothes. Ruffling through them, she sighed. "Nothing here," she informed the duo.

"What about the drawers?" Clementine asked.

Violet quickly scanned the drawers. "Nothing here, either."

"Maybe he left those photos in that closet by mistake? There doesn't seem to be anything related to Beth in here," Louis said.

"That would make sense," Clementine said. "Maybe he got rid of everything related to Beth and forgot the photos we found were still there."

"So, what do we do now?" Violet asked. "Other than-"

The front door creaking open caught her mid-sentence. Jonathan's bedroom door was directly opposite the front door, so it was only a matter of time before the person saw that the door was open.

The footsteps moved around a little as they heard something being set down. For an instant they heard nothing more. Suddenly a voice spoke.

"Yeah, I know where they are," they heard Jared say. There was another voice, but it was unintelligible. Clementine could only catch certain words like 'they', 'useful' and 'Jonathan', none of which made sense together. It seemed like Jared was speaking to someone over a walkie talkie.

Clementine looked around for anything that she could use to defend them, lest Jared wasn't thrilled to find them in the room. In the moment, she felt it was the only thing to do. Her eyes came upon a small pocket knife sitting neatly beside the stack of books on the study table.

Swiftly moving towards it, she picked up the knife in her hand and signaled to Louis and Violet to move away from the front door's line of sight. Softly stepping towards the door, she peeked out, only just hiding again as she saw Jared step in front of the front door.

They didn't hear the front door open. The footsteps, however, moved towards the bedroom. The trio gave each other a look as they waited for the inevitable. There was no place to hide in the bedroom. The footsteps grew louder as they approached. Any moment now, and they would be caught. The shoes landing on the wooden flooring were almost rhythmic and sharp.

The suspense was interrupted by a breaking voice, presumably from the walkie talkie. Jared's footsteps immediately moved away to answer it.

"Jared, here," he said.

"There's a problem at Wall 14. Need you to go check it out," the voice said. The voice quality suddenly seemed much clearer than before.

There was silence for a second before Jared spoke. "Copy. On my way." With that, the front door opened and he was gone.

Clementine exhaled. She hadn't realised how tightly her hand clutched the knife. Placing it in her pocket, she stood still. If Jared had threatened them, she wouldn't have hesitated to use the knife on him. It didn't feel like she was being herself, with everything that was going on. It was as if she was slipping back into a version of her that she'd long abandoned, and mercifully so.

"He's gone, right?" Louis asked, stepping towards the door.

"Yeah, I think so," Clementine replied. "I doubt there's anything in here that will answer our question."

"We can find Jonathan then. Maybe if we show him the photo, he'll talk."

"Well, let's go then. The sooner we find Beth, the quicker I can shove a knife in her heart," Violet said coldly, moving past Clementine and Louis.

Clementine shut the door behind her as they made it to the front door. Opening it, she stepped outside onto the porch. A sight she thought she'd never see again greeted her. The street ran to both sides, lined with houses. People moved around, going about their work. She could spot the large white barricaded gate to the left, a few houses away. A couple of guards stood at watch, armed with rifles. The medical room she was housed in the previous day was to her right.

Stepping down the porch stairs, the small patch of grass shone a brilliant green under the sunlight. The wind was still cold though. Sticking to the sidewalk, she made her way away from the Miletus gate. The children playing cast curious looks towards them, before returning to their games. Smiling, she almost found herself wishing she and AJ were a part of this.

"Any idea where we're heading?" Louis asked, walking just behind Clementine.

Clementine shook her head. "Jonathan didn't say where he was going to be. We'll just have to ask someone, I guess."

"I'll be back." With that, before the girls could respond, Louis was already jogging away from them. They saw him exchange a few words with a man, who pointed down the road, before he returned to them. "He's in the Town Hall."

"The Town Hall?" Violet inquired.

"Yeah. It's that building right there." Louis pointed at a large building not too far from them.

The trio resumed their path to find Jonathan, all the while taking in the scene around them. Clementine knew it was usually a bad idea to stay in a community, but she'd never forgotten the comfort she had in them while they lasted. It was different from all the travelling she'd done on the road with AJ.

AJ.

No matter what was in her head, as soon as the thought of AJ popped up, she immediately felt the crushing anxiety slip over her.

Within a minute, they stood outside the grand building. It had only one floor yet it looked much larger than it did from afar. The stone path leading up to the building had been bordered by white stones, separating it from the grass.

Treading over the path, they stood in front of the Town Hall and opened the door to the building. It swung open easily, as if it had just been oiled. Stepping in, the first thing Clementine noticed was the long table in the room across. That would have to be the place where the Council met. There were two rooms on either side of them.

"Let's check here," Violet said, walking to the room on their left as Clementine and Louis followed.

It appeared to be a large storage room, stacked with carboard boxes. In one corner, sat a dusty piano.

"No way!" Louis exclaimed, almost knocking Violet over in his haste to get to the instrument. "I haven't seen one since Ericson's!"

His enthusiasm elicited a smile from Clementine. Louis looked like a child with a new toy as he ran his hands across the keys. They barely made a sound but that did nothing to dampen his shining face.

"I'm sure I can get this fixed. I could play songs for you guys!"

Clementine caught Violet with a smile playing on her lips. His happiness seemed infectious as the two exchanged a glance. "We should talk to Jonathan first," she reminded Louis. "Maybe he's in the Hall or whatever they call it."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry… I didn't mean to get caught up in that," Louis said, slightly guilty.

The three of them left the room and made their way towards the room with the long table. Entering it, they found the Hall empty. Large bookshelves covered the walls on two sides of the room, while the wall in front of them had two windows with a fireplace sandwiched between them. It seemed to have been used recently, with the wood still burning.

"I'd love to just sit here," Violet said, staring at the fireplace. "At least we'll be warmer than outside. Hate the winter."

"We'll figure that out," Clementine replied. "Come on, Jonathan must be in that last room." Now that she knew where Jonathan was, she was almost in a hurry to talk to him. She wanted answers and it seemed like the only viable way to get the other kids back.

Entering the last room, they found out it was a library. Bookshelves sat in every imaginable place in the room. There had to be at least a thousand books in there, and that was a modest number.

"Can I help you?" an elder lady asked, appearing from behind a shelf.

"Is Jonathan in here?" Clementine asked, looking around.

She gestured towards her side. "He's at the back there," she said, before carrying a book over to a table on the side.

Clementine led the trio through the room. It was much larger than it looked at first. Walking past the shelves, there were books of every kind, large and small. Small tables with chairs had been placed at regular intervals at the sides for people to sit and read. She remembered trying to get AJ to read at the Forest House and this only spurred her on. At last, they spotted Jonathan standing near a shelf, pulling out a book.

He looked surprised to see them. "What are you doing here?" he asked, keeping the book aside.

Clementine didn't hesitate as she pulled out the photograph from her backpocket and handed it to him. She watched as he unfolded the photo. He exhaled sharply before turning it over. His eyes widened as he read the little note.

"Where did you find this?" he asked, his voice pressing.

"Is Beth related to you?" Clementine asked, ignoring his question.

He didn't say anything for a moment. "Yes," he finally said. "She's my sister."


	22. A History Lesson

"So, you knew her and lied to us?" Violet asked angrily. "Why the fuck would you do that?"

Jonathan quickly looked around, making sure there was no one within earshot of their conversation. "Nobody here knows about my past with her."

"What do you mean?" Clementine asked. She knew they had him cornered, quite literally. They had evidence of his past and she wouldn't hesitate at all to use it against him.

He sighed. "Beth and Matthew had been married for just a couple of years when the roamers came around. All of us were separated but we managed to find each other a few years after. Jared, my wife Ellie and I were at South Home and Beth and Matthew were at Georgeville. They had a daughter called Andrea."

"How does that matter?" Violet interrupted, furious.

"Things were fine until a couple of years ago. Matthew found out about the deals that Georgeville's leader, Alan, had made with some raiders. They weren't losing people to walkers outside the walls- they were being traded for the community's safety. When Matthew realized, he tried to confront Alan but there were quite a few people involved in this," he narrated.

"So, he was killed?" Clementine asked.

"Beth turned up at my house asking for help. But there wasn't much I could do. I asked her to stay but she wouldn't leave Matthew and Andrea behind. When she got back, Alan had all three of them locked up. When we found out, Ellie wanted to go and I didn't want to risk it-"

"You were willing to let family suffer?" Louis asked. He almost had a surprised look on his face.

"It wasn't like that," Jonathan defended himself. "You didn't know Alan. The man was a monster. Ellie and I had an argument and we decided to sleep it off and decide the next day. Turns out she left in the night for Georgeville without saying anything." He looked pained as he spoke, as if remembering his nightmares. "When she tried to talk to Alan, he threw her in the lock-up with Beth and her family."

"What happened then?" Clementine inquired.

"Alan exiled Matthew. Told everyone he was throwing Matthew out for conspiring against the community. They took him away and no one saw him again. But we all know what that meant."

Clementine looked at Louis and Violet.

"And… Ellie?"

"They were in lock-up for a few weeks. Andrea got a fever and they refused to help her. She died in the cell with Beth and Ellie," Jonathan said. "Beth wasn't the same after that. Couple of weeks later, Georgeville was attacked. Whoever it was razed everything to the ground. Beth was able to escape but… Ellie didn't. Beth could've helped her but she didn't. My wife risked her life for that woman and all she did in return was let her die." He grit his teeth as he spoke.

"How do you know all of this?" Violet asked.

"One of the kids escaped in that carnage. He had the task of bringing them food once a day in the lock-up. You met him yesterday- Alex. He told me what had happened."

"And Beth? When did she join Delta?" Louis asked.

Jonathan chuckled mirthlessly. "Beth didn't join Delta. She formed it. Don't know how she did it, but the next thing I know, we're at war. She attacked South Home and before we could do anything, the place was gone. Jared and I barely made it out. That's when we came here to Miletus."

"So, you planned to get her yesterday?" Clementine was piecing the timeline together.

"Yes. A scout had seen her pass the highway. We knew Delta was the opposite direction so we laid an ambush. I shot the wrong van though and that's going to cost us more men in this war."

"So, why hide everything from people here?" Louis asked

Jonathan gave him a look like Louis was crazy. "Tell everyone here that I'm related to Beth after all the people she's killed? Jared and I would be dead before we could explain. No, I'd rather keep this a secret."

Clementine nodded. Things were making much more sense now. "We found Matthew."

Jonathan was taken aback. "What do you mean? Alive?"

She shook her head. "He had turned. He was attacked and left to die. We found that photo with his diary. That's how we knew."

"Jesus. So, he's really dead. Fuck… He was a good man."

"Is the diary helpful? It's got maps and some numbers for weapons," Clementine said, remembering that she still had the diary with her.

"Doubt it. Georgeville is gone and Delta was formed after Matthew was exiled. He was in charge of the armory back at Georgeville. It's probably related to that."

"So, do you have anything to do with Delta? Maps of the place or something?" Violet asked.

"No. We've never managed to get into Delta. We did try once but the prison they converted is heavily fortified. You can't get in without planning for death," Jonathan replied. Before anyone could ask any more questions, his walkie talkie broke the silence.

"Help! They've gotten-" The man's yelling broke off before it could complete the sentence.

"Gareth? Do you copy?" Jonathan grabbed the device off of his belt and spoke into it. "Gareth? Gareth?"

There was no response from the other man's side.

Cursing, Jonathan replaced the talkie. "Gareth was supposed to be checking the walls today. I'll start from one side. You kids start from the other end. Take the road opposite. It ends at the wall." With that, he hastily disappeared from the room.

"Are we gonna look for this guy?" Violet asked them.

"Might as well. He sounded like he needed help and maybe he'll tell us something useful too."

The three of them left the library and exited the building, standing in the early afternoon sun. The trees swayed, and the grass blades danced about with the cold breeze. In such weather, Clementine would have liked nothing better than to return to the house and make herself another cup of coffee.

"Here. He said opposite," Louis said, looking at the street running directly ahead of them.

Jogging, they followed the street. They passed a small vegetable farm. Clementine made a mental note to come check it out later since they didn't have the time for it currently. A blacksmith's workshop caught her eye. There was no one manning it at that instant. She could see the sharp weaponry lying around. They went past a few more houses, stopping at a T-junction.

"Which way now?" Violet asked as they saw the wall in front of them. Large silver metal sheets divided them from the dead, supported by sloping beams dug into the ground. Clementine had seen this method before and it was usually very effective, other than when a horde came along.

"Here," Clementine said, moving towards the left side. Hastening their pace, they looked around for anything that could tell them where Gareth was.

They didn't need to look too hard.

The road curved towards a gate that was open. From the start of the curve, Clementine could see the guard box next to the gate. While the walls were a good twenty feet high, she could see the trees outside. Miletus was built near a forest.

As they approached the gate, they could hear the growls of walkers. They had gathered around something, dipping their heads into whatever it was they were eating. Their bloody mouths chewed on the entrails of their victim in a grotesque manner.

"Shit, we don't have weapons," Violet remembered as they looked on at the walkers.

"Check the guard box. There must be some in there," Clementine replied. "I'll distract them."

"But-" Louis began.

"Go!" Clementine headed towards the walkers. "Hey stupid fuckers! This way!" She watched as some of dead walkers turned their heads, slowly moving away from their meal to try their luck with the girl in the cap.

There were at least three of them with a few more appearing from the trees and there was no chance she could take care of all of them on her own.

Clementine suddenly recalled she had Jonathan's knife in her pocket. She armed herself, holding it at the ready. She swung her knife at the head, quickly freeing it from the skull as the walker went down. A rage started to build up within her. It came all of a sudden, but she could feel its presence as it took control of her.

Her teeth clenched as she knifed the next walker. In quick succession, another walker went still, her knife now a bleeding dark red. Swinging her knife again, her weapon missed its mark and embedded itself in the side of a walker's head.

"Clem, watch out!" she heard Louis yell behind her.

Groaning, she pulled her knife out, only to strike it back into the walker's head. She could see one of them approach from the left side out of the corner of her eye. Without a second thought, her hand automatically acted on its own. She found her knife lodged in the walker's head as it collapsed. Her hands were wet and slippery with the blood now, owing to the blade's short length.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. As she was about to react, she heard a sickening smash. Turning around, Clementine saw Louis had nearly opened the walker's head with an iron rod. Violet was taking down a few walkers on her own, armed with a larger knife.

Looking around, she saw they'd taken out most of the walkers. The rage had begun to subside now, putting Clementine back in control of herself. She took a deep breath, calming her shaking hands. She didn't know what had come over. One small misstep and she would've ended up like the man now lying dead.

Clementine made her way over to the man, driving her knife into the last walker's head as it fell limp. The man was, no doubt, dead. His brown eyes stared up into the clouds, his face a mask of terror. His clothes were soaked with his own blood. He had died a gruesome death, to say the least. She noticed he had a tattoo down his left arm and a scar on the top of his hand, although she couldn't be sure with all the blood dripping down.

"Fuck, is this Gareth?" Louis appeared next to her, the iron rod in his hand dripping a dark red blood.

"Probably," Clementine said, standing up.

"Looks like we got here a little too late then," Violet said, walking over to them.

"Yeah." Clementine turned away from the man, looking around for any more walkers. The forest stood silent as she made sure the man would not turn into one of the undead creatures. They made their way back to the safety of Miletus' walls, pulling the gates close behind them.

"We should look for Jonathan. Tell him there's someone dead here," Louis said.

They found him on the road back to the Hall. His face was drenched with sweat as he tried to catch his breath. His shirt had changed turned darker in little patches. "Did you find him?" he asked.

"We found someone. Don't know if it was Gareth. The walkers got him," Clementine told him.

"Jesus. Uh… did you see a tattoo on his arm?"

"Yeah. He had one on his left arm."

"Fuck!" Jonathan swore loudly, before quickly composing himself. "What happened?"

"We got to the gates back there. Gareth was outside, already gone. The walkers were on him by the time we could clear them out," Louis recounted their encounter.

"How did the walkers get in? The gates are always closed."

"They were open," Clementine said.

"What?" Jonathan looked confused. "They're never open. Are you sure they were open?"

"We're not fucking stupid," Violet said, annoyed. "You can go and have a look for yourself. And you're welcome. We closed the gates too."

Jonathan gave Violet a stare before radioing someone. He made his way past the kids, heading to the gates.

"Little too hostile don't you think?" Louis asked Violet.

Violet shrugged her shoulders. "He lied to us. And not like I have to be nice to him."

"Yeah, but… never mind. Let's just head back to the house. Clem, you coming?"

Clementine nodded her head. "I could use some more coffee."

"I second that," Violet said as they walked back to the house. "Haven't had that in a while."


	23. Coffee After Calamity

Clementine opened the door, letting Louis and Violet in before she closed it behind her. The remainder of the breakfast still lay on the kitchen counter, untouched. Feeling the pangs of hunger, she decided it would be a good idea to eat something too, along with the coffee.

"You guys are back," she heard a voice from the living room. Turning, she saw Jared sitting on the sofa, cleaning his rifle. He looked like he had just come from a marathon, the way his face was shining with sweat. "Had a look around?"

"Yeah," Louis replied. "Who does the piano belong to in the Hall?"

"Oh that? It used to belong to one of the families living here, but they never really used it. So, it was moved into the storage room. You know how to play one?"

"Yeah. I can probably fix it too."

"Really?" Jared looked surprised. "Feel free to fix it then. I can show you guys around later, if you want."

"That'd be cool," Louis said. "So, you're done with the walker traps?"

"What?" He looked confused for a moment. "Oh yeah, yeah. Done with them, yeah. We call them roamers. Took a while to set them up, but they're done."

Clementine left Louis to talk to Jared and headed to the kitchen. She could hear their conversation in the background as she made herself a much-needed cup of coffee.

"Could you make me one, too?" she heard Violet's voice next to her. The blonde girl was leaning against the kitchen counter, looking at the coffee jar.

Clementine nodded. Stirring up another cup, she handed it to the girl.

"This is really good," Violet remarked, clutching the mug in both hands as she sipped at the liquid. She got a small smile in return as they walked back to the living room.

"Where are you guys from?" Jared asked them.

"Georgia," Clementine replied.

"Violet and I are from Virginia," Louis said. "I'm Louis, if you didn't know."

"I'm Jared. My family's from England, originally. We moved here a few years before things went south."

"I've always wanted to see London. My dad used to show me photos of the times he'd gone there," Clementine reminisced, sipping her coffee.

"I've actually been there once. When I was a couple of years old," Louis said. "Not that I remember anything, obviously."

"I don't enjoy travelling very much, honestly. We moved here cause most of my family was already here," Jared said. "I wonder if it's any different back there, with all these roamers."

"I doubt it is," Clementine answered. "I've moved around a bit and it's all the same. People attacking each other and the walkers get what remains."

"That's true. There's no one to judge you for what you do, so, it brings out the worst in people."

"That… actually quite well put," Louis said. "We used to have a home. There were more of us there. Lived there for nearly seven or eight years before Delta took it from us."

"Delta? Beth?"

"That's the one. She's your aunt, isn't she?" Violet asked.

"Wh-Wh-What?" Jared sputtered, taken aback. "Wh-Who told you that?"

"Jonathan. We found photos of her in our room."

He exhaled. "Did dad tell you everything?"

"Yeah. Anything else you wanted to add in there?" Violet looked straight at him, taking a sip of the hot, steaming coffee.

"It's all right, Violet. I don't think he's the bad guy here," Clementine said, laying a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Yeah, thanks," Jared said, gratefully. "Given a chance, I would have gone to the ambush yesterday and got the shot right."

Violet shot him a cold, hard look before she settled down on the sofa with her mug. The aftermath of Jonathan's story seemed to be making her not particularly warm towards the two family members.

"Do you remember her? Beth," Clementine asked.

Jared looked unsure of how to answer her. "Yeah," he finally answered. "Mom and dad used to leave me with her a lot when we moved here. They would go off on their business trips. Matthew and Beth looked after me then."

"What was her daughter like?"

"Andrea? She… uh… she was good. It was horrible that she met her end like that. I guess that's what drove Beth over the edge."

"That's exactly what Jonathan said."

"Yeah. Cause that's what he told me, and it does make sense if you think about it. Everything could have been prevented if we'd helped them sooner. No one-"

"Are you seriously fucking defending her?" Violet suddenly raged. "She fucking shot Brody! She took everyone I cared for with her! And you fucking think I want to sit here listening to this shit? Not even the walkers deserve this bitch!"

"Vi-" Clementine began.

"Don't. I need to clear my head. I'll find you guys later." Getting up, she stormed out of the house, sending the door crashing shut after her.

As Clementine was about to speak, a loud crackling sound filled the room.

"Jared. Do you copy?" the walkie talkie came to life.

Jared grabbed the device from his side, speaking into it. "I'm here dad."

There was a silence. "The walkers got Gareth. I need you to come to the back gates."

"What? Gareth is dead?" Jared asked, his voice shocked. He looked up at Clementine and Louis.

"Yes."

After sitting still for a couple of seconds, he got up, heading to the door with his rifle. "I'll see you guys later," he said, shutting the door behind him.

"How are you holding up?" Clementine asked Louis as he took a seat next to her.

"Don't know really. It's like… always at the back of your mind, you know? Your friends are in danger and there's not much you can do," he replied.

"Yeah." Her thoughts echoed his. "We'll get them back. We have to."

"I still think talking to Jonathan is a good idea. He might even agree to help us."

"I don't know. He's related to Beth and-"

"Clem, what choice do we have?" Louis asked. "Our only option is to trust him. And he hasn't done anything to us, yet. That's gotta mean something."

"So, you think he might help us?" Clementine asked.

"Yeah, I think so. There's at least something he can do, right? Maybe even point us in the right direction."

"What if it's just the three of us and we have to go?"

Louis gave her a sad smile. "If that's how it is, we'll do it. I'm scared about it, you know? But it's our friends we're talking about. So, I'll do it. All three of us will."

"I'm scared, too," Clementine confessed. "About what happens if we don't make it. AJ's never been away from me and it's worrying me that Beth will do something to him. Marlon didn't look good when we last saw him and… neither did Aasim."

"I hope they're okay. They just have to hold on until we get them out. And… I guess we have to hold on too. It not going to be easy."

She nodded. "Since when did you become a philosopher?"

He chuckled. "You just never asked. I'm very good at giving advice. Just bad at following it."

"Aren't we all? Anyway, we should go find Violet."

"We should."

Clementine placed her coffee mug on the little center-table. She'd wash it later. Leading the way, she let herself out of the house, preparing to almost look everywhere for Violet. They were saved the trouble from doing that though.

She sat on the corridor wall of the medical room to the right. Absent-mindedly swinging her legs, she sat quietly staring across, although it seemed like she was looking at nothing in particular. Clementine and Louis approached her, sitting down on either side of her.

"You okay?" Clementine asked her.

Violet turned to look at her. "Yeah. Sorry for that. It's… it's like everything was bottled up inside and it just came out."

"It's alright," Louis replied. "Happens to all of us."

"It's just that we didn't deserve any of that. So, why did it happen with us? I can remember the look on Brody's face when she realised she was going to die. It's… not fair."

"It isn't. But this is not the normal world either. Humans are worse than walkers," Clementine responded.

"I know. But it could've been anyone else. Why us? After everything we've been through. Losing Ericson's, Omar, Willy, Tenn, Sophie, Ruby, Mitch and now even Brody. Why us?"

"You know, I used to be with another group called the New Frontier. There was this time when AJ was sick and they refused medicines for him cause they thought he was going to die anyway. So, I stole some and I got caught. They took AJ away from me and threw me out. I spent that entire year believing he was gone. Until I found him again by accident."

"By accident?" Louis asked.

"I met this guy called Javier who turned out to be the brother of one of the leaders of New Frontier. His name was David. He was the one who took AJ." She noticed Louis' expression. "Yeah, it sounds straight out of a movie. Anyway, I found out that AJ had survived and was sent to this place called McCaroll Ranch. That's when I went to get him. That place was Hell. After I finally got AJ out, we spent so much time out there. I did everything to care of him and after yesterday, it feels like all I did was in vain."

"Wait. McCaroll Ranch, that's the place you always see in your nightmares, right?" Violet asked.

"How do you know that? I haven't told you." Clementine gave her a curious look.

"You used to talk a lot in your sleep. Louis heard it too."

"Oh. I didn't say anything weird, right?"

"No," Louis replied. "It was a lot of mumbling. And something about the Infinites."

Clementine sharply exhaled. That name. She had spent a lot of time burying that name in her head, hoping she would never hear it again.

"Clem?" Violet asked, noticing her reaction. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, nothing wrong. It's… I haven't heard that name in a very long time. And I don't want to hear it ever again." The name wasn't ordinary. It had scarred Clementine forever ever since she'd first encountered it.

"Why? Is that a group or something that you were with before?"

She shook her head. "The night I went to rescue AJ, I found McCaroll Ranch burning. I met the Infinites the first time that night."


	24. McCaroll Ranch, Part I

_Nearly 3 years ago_

The night sky shone above as Clementine made her way through the forest. The dark surrounded her on every side as her feet stepped over the leaves and branches. She walked with a determination with the moonlight guiding her on her journey. Normally, she would have used her flashlight to find her path.

But that was not a normal day. That was the day she would hopefully find AJ where he was. At McCaroll Ranch.

Choosing the darkness was an obvious choice to her. She had no idea what this place was like and if they would allow her in, even with the New Frontier tattoo on her arm. If they were hostile, she would need to play it safe and sneak in. A flashlight would do all but conceal her.

She had sneaked into plenty of communities before. Starving and alone on the road made for one dangerous combination. Her solitary stance reduced when she met Javier and his family. He was partly the reason she was heading for AJ. She'd told herself that it was better he was gone since she wouldn't be a good mother for him. But after seeing Javier look after his family… she knew AJ was the only good thing she had left in the world.

She picked up the pace, taking care not to lose herself in the darkness. She had an inkling of where the place would be. Having it marked out on a map and looking at it nearly every waking second had made her sure she was heading in the right direction.

Only a little farther, she told herself.

She could feel the pit in her stomach as well as the excitement. After believing he was gone for so long, she was finally so close to him. Would he even recognize her? After all he was barely a couple of years old when she had last seen him and he hadn't even started talking. Maybe his first words would be 'Clem'? That is, if he still hadn't started talking.

All she wanted to do was give him the life he deserved. Maybe she could give him coffee. She wasn't sure whether kids were supposed to have it so early. He could always have just a sip, right? Her hand travelled to her bag, clutching at the outline of the toy she'd found in a store. She was sure he would love that. He would play with it as a toothy grin would spread across his face.

She couldn't wait to hold him in her arms and give him the biggest hug of his life.

Clementine found a wide smile on her face as she entertained thoughts of how he would react to her. Scenarios upon scenarios played in her head on a loop, almost making the entire journey from Richmond to here seem like a distant memory. It was always the last miles that would seem like they took years.

Finally, after a grueling walk, she broke past the trees and found herself on the road. She mentally pictured the map, remembering that she just had to follow the road for a mile or two and she would be there.

Setting off down the road, she walked closer to the trees in case she needed to quickly get off and hide. In the distance she could spot lights. Her first thought was to question their intelligence in using bright lights at night. It would draw a lot of walkers and it definitely would be a beacon for other groups.

She could now see that the lights were orange. She had never been a fan of orange lights. Ever since the apocalypse, the color had been nearly ruined for her. It only reminded her of candle flames, something that represented a night in any rundown place all throughout her journey.

The light didn't seem to be from an artificial source now. It appeared to be… natural, the way it mingled with the sky above it. The smoke rose high.

That's when she realised. That was no light.

They were flames.

The Ranch was burning.

Clementine's heart started racing as the reality began to sink in. But she couldn't understand what had happened. Were they attacked? Did the walkers break in? She had to find out.

Pulling her gun out, she released the safety catch and sprinted towards the Ranch. She could spot the illuminated stone walls and the main gate, or what was left of it. The mangled gate lay on the floor as if it had been bulldozed through. Through that, she noticed the burning buildings. Gunshots ran rife through it all.

She silently crept in through the gate, almost instantly seeing the strewn bodies.

"What the fuck?" she whispered to herself. Some of the bodies still held onto guns while some just lay on the floor as if they had been dragged into a pile. The part that disturbed Clementine was not the blood flowing out like crimson rivers, or the way they had been discarded; it was the bashed-in heads. Not all of them had suffered this fate but a few had their faces caved in, making them unrecognizable.

Trying to ignore the grotesque sight, she looked ahead. There were no asphalt roads; only grass and dirt tracks leading between buildings peppered with trees everywhere. It seemed as if a number of buildings had been built on a piece of land and the walls were added in later.

The heavy smoke and flames made it difficult for Clementine to make out things in the distance. Cars were all around, parked haphazardly. Some looked like they were trying to flee the place, evidenced by the cracked windshields and having crashed into the houses or their porches. Finding AJ was going to be a task. Hearing voices, she darted to a car, hiding behind it. Getting caught in this carnage meant certain death.

"D-d-don't m-move," she heard a voice behind her.

Slowly raising her hands in a surrender, she turned around, coming face to face with a pistol pointed at her face. It was held by a young man with shaking hands. In her haste, she hadn't made sure that there was no one near the car.

"A-are you one of th-them?" he asked.

"Who? The ones who attacked you?" Clementine still had the gun in her hand. She could kill him if she could distract him. But she also needed to get information.

"Are you one of th-them?"

"No." She decided to show him her tattoo. "I'm from New Frontier," she said, showing him the mark.

"Oh, thank God. Y-you're not one of them," the boy said, relieved.

"Who are they?"

"They-they call themselves the Infinites. They just go around k-killing people and raiding their supplies. There were too many of them and we just couldn't do anything. I w-was too afraid."

Clementine felt her heart sink. AJ had to be alive. It couldn't have all been in vain. "Where are the kids?"

"Kids?" He had a surprised look on his face. "W-why?"

"Just tell me where they are," she said menacingly. She couldn't afford to be wasting time if she could still save him.

"Th-they're in the McCaroll building. It's the main one. It's directly at the end of this-"

It seemed as if a scarlet fountain had erupted. It all felt like slow-motion to Clementine, watching the red drops fly out and land on the grass. She watched the boy crumble to the dirt, a large gaping hole in his head.

For an instant, Clementine froze. The warm blood on her face had shocked her. Then she heard the footsteps. The person seemed to be almost dragging their feet. Pulling herself back to her senses, she pulled off her bag and threw herself on her stomach, crawling under the car. She heard laughter approach.

She had, unfortunately, chosen a bad spot. Hiding under the car, she faced the corpse of the boy she had just met. She could see the blood oozing out of the bullet hole.

She saw the feet of two people reach the boy. For a second, they stood still.

"An' that's ten!" one of them yelled before using the butt of his rifle to ram it into the boy's face.

The blood flew towards the car, landing just short of Clementine. She looked the other way, hearing the appalling squelch of the rifle meeting its mark. It continued for a few more seconds before the men spoke.

"Well, need more." The man's voice was nonchalant, a tone that indicated that this was normal.

Clementine heard the footsteps fade away. She looked around from under the car. Screams rent the air. Everywhere she looked, it was chaos. Smoke billowed out of the burning houses as people ran about, some killing, some escaping.

Crawling back out, she pulled her bag back on. The boy had said McCaroll building was at the end of something. He had to mean the road that led inwards. Taking a deep breath, she scrambled off towards the next car, hoping no one saw her. Her heart was beating fast now, her breath in short bursts. She took a quick peek. There was no way she would make it to AJ if she spent the entire night find the closest cover.

Trying to make up her mind, she thought of the car further down the road as her next stop. There were people along the way though. Eyeing the houses, she noticed that the porches had spaces under them that she could crawl through. Leaving the safety of the car, she sprinted to the closest house, dropping onto the ground and beginning to crawl. She prayed there were no walkers with her.

Coming out on the other side, she gauged the distance to the next porch to be a good hundred feet away. She was going to need all the luck on her side if she was going to make it there without being spotted. Just as she was about to run, a scream from the road to her right stopped her in her tracks.

Quickly making it back under the porch, she had a clear sight of the road. A man, dressed like the boy's killer, was dragging a woman towards a house. Clementine's hand tightly closed around her gun as she witnessed it. Pointing it at the man, her fingers almost squeezed the trigger before she stopped herself. She couldn't help the woman if she wanted to find AJ. Giving up her position wasn't an option.

Turning her eyes away from the sight, she waited until the screams were barely audible. Making her way out, she started jogging towards the next porch, keeping a close eye on the road. Just as she made it to her destination and started crawling, she felt something close around her ankle. Her eyes widened in realization, a second before she was dragged out.

"An' where do ya thin' ya goin' girlie?" It was the same man who killed the boy. He looked down at her, his face gleaming with sweat and dirt. A smile was plastered across his face. He unslung his rifle and started raising it up.

There was a blur and suddenly the man went flying to the ground. The rifle made a soft sound as it landed on the grass, a distance away. Someone had attacked him since Clementine could make out a scuffle.

"Run!" the man who had attacked yelled at her.

Clementine didn't need to be told twice. Scrambling, she made it under the porch, coming across her gun that had slipped out of her hand when she was pulled out. Breath heavy and hands shaking, she made it out and began sprinting blindly. The adrenalin had taken over her. She heard yells and screams all around and she was certain that she had been seen. But it didn't matter. All she could think about was getting to the McCaroll building.

Running as fast as her legs could carry her, Clementine sped on. The smoke from the burning buildings was getting considerably thicker the closer she went to the heart of McCaroll Ranch. It was making it difficult to see anything clearly. She was completely at the mercy of the boy's words.

Starting to cough by now, she covered her mouth and nose by pulling up her t-shirt's collar. Her eyes watered as she walked, just following the road. The walkers had begun appearing in her path now. She avoided the ones she could, using her gun to shoot any of them that ventured too close.

Her head felt heavy now. Continuing to walk through the smoke was going to kill her sooner than later. Squinting, she could make out lights. It seemed like a two-storey building. It had to be the McCaroll building by the fact that it looked much larger than the other buildings.

Hastening her pace, she made it to the main door. Pushing down the handle, she threw herself against the wood. It flew open, allowing her in. Quickly shutting it behind her, she breathed huge mouthfuls of air. Before she could take in her surroundings, she realised she wasn't alone.

A man leaned against the wall next to the door. He breathed heavily, his hands covering his stomach. Blood flowed freely through them. "Are you also here for the kids?" he asked with difficulty, disgust in his voice.

"No," Clementine found herself answering him.

"So, what are you doing here?" He spoke with difficulty.

She bared her New Frontier mark for him. "I'm looking for someone."

"Who?"

"AJ."

He suddenly gave her a pained smile of realisation. "Alvin Junior? I remember when David had brought him in."

"He's here? Where?"

"First floor. Room 102," the man weakly replied. He pointed towards the corridor on their left, his hand shaking. Before Clementine could run towards the corridor, his hand reached out and caught hers. "You'll have to hurry. Some of the men already went there. And please," he looked at her, "take care of him. He's a wonderful child."

"I will," she replied.

"And could you please…." He looked at the gun in her hand. "I don't want to turn. Please."

Clementine looked around to see if anyone could hear them. The man looked on the verge of death. Nodding she pointed the gun at his head, watching him lean back and close his eyes.

She pulled the trigger.


	25. McCaroll Ranch, Part II

The gunshot rang out through the corridor. Not that it mattered anyway; it was simply masked by the commotion outside.

Clementine left the man behind, heading down the corridor. Little potted plants had been placed on the carpeted floor along the wall. A few bodies lay on the floor, drenching the carpet a scarlet. The overhead lights flickered, making the scene feel straight out of a horror movie. The windows to her left cast an orange glow of the insanity outside.

She read the names of the rooms as she passed them by. The building was probably where they ran the Ranch from. She could see that there was a doctor's room; a security room; a playing room; a meeting room. There seemed to be quite a few rooms before the corridor turned to the right. They decorated the walls on both sides of the corridors there too.

Clementine kept up her pace, willing the stairs to just appear. The corridor seemed never ending, and it didn't help that most of the lights were broken. She was about to pull out her flashlight, but refrained. She would have to rely on the faint glow of the remaining bulbs. The adrenalin had started fading now, making her really see the carnage that was around here.

Finally, she saw the end of the corridor, coming upon a door. Peeking through the glass, she couldn't make out much. The lights were off, but it seemed like some sort of a small hall. The flames from outside shed some light.

Opening the door, she stepped inside cautiously, her gun at the ready. She was met with tables and chairs. Looking around, she realised that that must be where the inhabitants of McCaroll Ranch ate. Plates filled with food still sat at the tables. There must have been people eating when the Infinites attacked.

Searching with her eyes, she finally noticed the stairs to her left. Her vision was adjusting to the darkness. Slowly making her way over, she started climbing. The floor was slippery with blood. Clementine had seen so much of it at this place, she was sure her quota for seeing the scarlet liquid was done for life.

Making it to the first floor, she found herself in another corridor perpendicular to her. The wall in front of her was lined with windows. She could see the orange glow of the massacre outside. The screams and yells seemed to have faded into the background, a dark melody playing in the throes of the madness around her.

Looking both sides, she noticed some of the doors were open. Fearing that she was late, she headed to the left, trying to read the name plates. The first one read '108', the one opposite read '107'. The rooms appeared empty. That was a good thing. But that meant AJ could still be down the corridor.

She would never be prepared for what was in the next room.

As Clementine's eyes passed over it, she had the overwhelming urge to throw up. She had never seen a sight as gruesome as this. What the fuck kind of people even did things like this? For the first time, she was afraid of the Infinites. Nobody could be this fucked up, not even people who were outright crazy. Looking up, she noticed that she was looking at the inhabitant of Room 106. With a guilty mind, she almost felt herself slightly relieved that this wasn't AJ.

That was when she heard the voices. Edging closer, she realised with horror that they were coming from Room 102. The door was open.

"Maybe we show this kid what we did to the other kid, eh?" a man said, his voice coming out raspy. "This place is the best one we've hit so far, right Jim?"

"You're fuckin' right!" the other man replied. "Hey, you wanna call Bull and show him our art? Like, we're fuckin' Picasso man!" Both the men laughed.

Clementine peeked in. It was dark but she could see the two men illuminated from the light outside. It seemed like a dormitory, with a double bed against the wall and a small table to the right with a window. A young child sat on the bed, legs pulled up against his chest and his head buried in them. She could hear him sobbing softly. One man sat next to him, while the other leant against the table. None of them were looking at the door.

Clementine felt a rage well up inside her. It was unlike anything she'd ever felt before. It took over the fear. The men deserved to die, and they deserved a horrible death. And she would give it to them. Pointing her gun at the first man, she fired. It seemed so sudden, it even startled her.

The man clutched his chest, sliding to the floor.

The other man spotted her. He stood up. "You fuckin' cunt! I'll fuckin' r-" Before he could complete his sentence, Clementine had fired. His head instantly flew back, hitting the bed behind him before he fell, blood leaking out of the bullet hole on his forehead.

The first man was still alive, gasping as he took pained breaths. Clementine entered the room, keeping a safe distance from him.

"You're pretty," he commented.

Clementine didn't hesitate. The next bullet from her made sure he was dead and wouldn't come back ever. Turning her attention to the boy, she slowly made her way over to him. He was still sobbing, refusing to look up. His body shook violently. Some of the blood from the man had landed on him, scaring him further.

"Hey," she said, sitting beside him. "AJ? It's me, Clem."

He still refused to look up.

She stroked his back, hoping to calm him down. "It's Clem. Do you remember me? I took care of you."

AJ raised his head just enough so his eyes could be seen. They were wet with tears.

Clementine felt the pain pull at her heart strings. It absolutely killed her to see him like this. She pulled off her bag, and took out the toy. It was a little green cartoon character in the shape of a broccoli. She held out in her hand in front of him. "Hey there, AJ. It's Disco Broccoli! And I'm here to make sure Clem gets you out safe," she spoke in a comically deep voice.

That seemed to pique his interest. For an instant, a smile appeared at his face before he saw the slumped bodies. Almost instantly, he teared up again and began to sob.

Clementine quickly pulled him closer, wrapping her arms around him. "Sshh, little goofball. I'm here now. And I'll make sure nothing ever hurts you again." She stroked his hair, softly planting a kiss on the top of his head.

She knew they had little time before everything would be destroyed. They had to get out and they had to do it now. She almost felt like never letting go of the little boy, the way he sobbed. She would protect him with her life, if need be.

Breaking the hug, she looked at him. "AJ? We have to go now. Come," she said, picking him up. He was just a three-year old but he was still heavy for her to carry. And there was no way she would make him walk. Making him rest his head on her shoulder, she put his weight on her left arm, leaving her right relatively free to use her gun.

Stepping out, she slowly started making her way back downstairs. The darkness seemed to scare AJ as he held onto Clementine tighter, his tiny fists clutching at her t-shirt as he buried his head in her neck. She could feel the tears run down his cheek. It only served to spur her anger; her hate towards these people. She promised herself she would keep AJ away from groups and raise him herself.

But that was if they got out alive. She only had a few bullets left and there could be far too many Infinites. She needed a plan to get out, and safely.

Walking back through the corridor, she reached the main door. She'd forgotten about the man. AJ simply kept staring at him, as if past the point of comprehension. Clementine didn't notice that, instead, looking out of the window, trying to figure out an escape route. She couldn't crawl through small spaces carrying AJ. There were bound to be more walkers now, inside as well as outside. And she had no idea where the Infinites were.

Her best bet was to find a car. Not only would they be shielded from the flames but they would be able to get through the walkers and the people too. She couldn't spot one from the window but she had to make a break for it. It wasn't the best idea, but it was the only viable one. The smoke still sat thick upon the community, rendering walking impossible. If only she could find one, she would hopefully be able to handle the rest.

Resting her hand on the door handle, she took a deep breath. In a swift motion, she threw it open and walked outside. The flames lit up the smoke and dust, and with that, the outlines of moving figures in its midst. That's when she made up her mind about how she was going to get them till there.

She strained her eyes, trying to see if she could spot a walker. If she could get one to follow her into the building, they could use its blood to disguise themselves. At least, that would keep the other walkers away.

As if her prayers had been answered, she heard a growl to her left. One of the undead creatures was slowly moving towards her. Clementine opened the door and quietly lured him in. As she waited for it to step inside, she holstered her gun and pulled out her knife. Quickly putting AJ down behind her, she watched the walker approach, weapon raised.

She wasn't strong enough to take down a newly turned walker. There was no way she could kick the knee and break it, like she did with the more decomposed ones. She'd have to take her chances and take a swing at the head. Her only solace was that her knife was sharp.

Holding her nerve, she waited till the last second. With a grunt, she swung her arm, exhaling as the walker went limp. The knife hadn't completely gone in, but as long as she got some of it to pierce the brain, it wouldn't survive.

She looked down at the walker, grimacing as she realised that she would need to cut open the foul-smelling creature. With a quick slash, she opened its stomach up. Dipping her hands in, she coated herself in the walker blood. Then, she looked at AJ.

He was no longer crying. He sat silently, his eyes intently following her.

"Sorry, kiddo. This is going to stink a lot," Clementine said, picking him up and setting him down next to the walker. She rubbed the blood onto him, taking extra care to make sure he was completely covered. He wrinkled his nose at the smell, grimacing.

Satisfying herself that there was no uncovered spot on his clothes, she scooped him up and stepped past the walker. She swallowed hard as she looked at the road leading out. Venturing into that was absolute madness, but this was her only option. Beginning to walk, she braced herself for the familiar choking feeling. She had to get AJ to the first car she could. Letting him breathe in the smoke was not something she was very keen on doing.

The screams had died down to the occasional sound now. An eerie atmosphere had settled down around them, spinning nightmarish thoughts about the unseen into Clementine's head. Walkers lurked about in the dust and smoke, barely running their eyes over the alive duo.

Clementine moved forward, her breath feverish. It wasn't cold, but she still felt the goosebumps rise on her skin. She had to avoid all the walkers meticulously since AJ in her arms. Doing this alone, when she had nothing made it so simple. But she had everything to lose now.

She noticed the car to her right. It was a silver sedan that appeared to have crashed into the tree. There was a large dent into the bonnet, but no smoke from the engine. That was a good sign.

Silently praying that this was their ticket out, she reached the passenger side and placed her hand on the door handle. To her surprise, the door opened, revealing an empty car. The keys still dangled in the keyhole. She placed AJ down carefully onto the seat.

"We're getting out of here, goofball," she told him as she pulled the seat belt across him, the first hint of relief in her voice. She closed the door.

That's when she felt something wrap around her neck. In a moment of realization, she knew she was being choked to death. Her hands immediately travelled to the arm, desperately clawing at them to free her.

"Hold still," the voice said. "I promise it's quick."

Her body flailed about, but the grasp was like iron. It was no use. The life started to slowly ebb away from her. Her eyes landed on the car window.

AJ looked at her, his eyes trained on her. He didn't need to say it, but she knew he was afraid. She couldn't leave him alone. As if of its own accord, her hand left the man's arm, moving down to her sheathed knife. Mustering all the strength she could, she rammed it behind her.

A scream followed as the pressure around her neck eased. Suddenly able to breathe, Clementine's head felt light, as if nothing was real. Fighting to regain control, she knew she only had a small window before the man came back at her.

Turning around, she blindly thrust the knife. It cut into his chest, earning a longer scream. She stepped back, stopping only when she felt the door behind her. The man was on his knees, holding on to the knife as the red drizzled over his front.

Clementine scampered off to the other side of the car, throwing it open and flinging herself in. Her hands shook vigorously, as she turned the key. The engine roared to life.

"Fuck," she muttered, remembering that the engine's noise would only draw the walkers close. Reversing away from the tree, she flicked the lights on, driving back onto the road. She could see the figures move towards her now from the sides. There was no time to waste.

Pushing down on the pedal, the car suddenly shot forwards. She sped down the road, barely avoiding the dead and the other cars. A loud bump echoed through the car every time it hit the walkers on the way.

Finally, the car approached the gates. Maneuvering around the bodies that hadn't reanimated, she drove out of McCaroll Ranch, away from the nightmare they'd endured. The quiet wilderness outside soaked them in as she steered the car along the road, no destination in mind.

"C…Clem?"

AJ's voice forced its way into her mind. She looked at him, strapped into the seat. "That's me, kiddo," she replied, a smile appearing on her face. She reached out with her hand, softly stroking his hair. In that moment, she knew she'd found everything she was looking for. The car rumbled down the asphalt as the flames rose in her rearview mirror, a carnage that would haunt her for years.


	26. Three of Us

"Holy fucking shit…" Violet whispered, stunned. "No wonder you have nightmares."

"Yeah. It's something that I really wish I didn't have to see. It fucked me up for the longest time. Made me question joining groups after that," Clementine replied.

"Who wouldn't? And here I thought life at Ericson's was bad," Louis said. "I don't think I would've survived that night."

"Honestly, I almost didn't. When that man got me, I just wanted it to end. And then when I saw AJ… I knew I couldn't give up. It just didn't feel right leaving him alone like that."

"Not a lot of people would do what you did. Remind me to not mess with you."

Clementine chuckled.

"So, you never saw the Infinites after that?" Violet asked.

"No," she replied, shaking her head. "I was lucky enough to get away once. I don't think I'll make it twice."

"They make Delta sound like babies."

"But these 'babies' still have our friends," Louis reminded Violet. "I just wish all of us could go live on an island. At least we'll be away from all this shit."

"Sounds like something I'd be totally for," Clementine said. "Right after we get everyone back from Delta, we'll go find a new home. I wouldn't mind another Forest House."

"That would be nice," Violet said. "Wish we didn't have to leave the Forest House."

"Yeah, me too. It was the first place I could call home after the breakout."

"Really?" Louis asked.

"Yeah," Clementine replied, feeling the memories flood through her mind. "I can't believe it's been just a few days since we left."

"Way too many things have happened since then. Most of which I wish wouldn't have…" Louis trailed off. Clementine and Violet knew from his tone that he meant Brody's death. A sudden silence descended upon them, a heavy pall of gloom weighing them down. It had been just over a day since Brody had died, but it already felt like years. It all seemed to be going downhill, one event after the other.

"Is it just me or does it look like it's going to rain?" Violet asked, trying to keep them from the negative thoughts. "Look."

They looked at where her finger was pointing. The dark clouds gathered on the horizon, slowly inching towards them.

"I never liked the rain much," Clementine told them.

"I kinda still enjoy it. It's one of the few calming things left in the world," Louis said.

"It calms you?"

"Yeah… don't you feel it too? It's raining heavily outside and you're in your home, watching it pour through the window."

"Ever since I remember, it just reminds me of the darkness. Cold and damp."

"I used to love it. Then I got sent to Ericson's. That just kinda ruined it for me," Violet said. "Hated it whenever it rained there."

"Hey Vi. Do you remember Mitch trying out his 'can bomb' on the dorm door?" Louis asked her.

"Yeah… he got the beating of his life that day." She paused, remembering the moment. "Wasn't it raining then, too?"

"It was. He thought the sound would be masked by the sound of thunder outside. Good plan, bad execution."

"He made a bomb? What happened?" Clementine asked. The stories Louis and Violet told seemed almost unreal. Clementine was from a regular school, where the wildest thing she ever saw was her seniors kiss in the washroom. Suffice to say, she wasn't particularly thrilled then.

"What do you think? The door caught fire and Ms. Smith went apeshit when she found out," Violet answered.

"Ms. Smith was our dorm in-charge," Louis added for Clementine's benefit. "A lot of things got banned in the dorms after that."

"Mitch got moved to Marlon's dorm cause he was like the head boy."

"Marlon was the head boy?" Clementine asked. She could almost picture him with the badge on his chest, yelling at the boy called Mitch.

Louis nodded in affirmation. "They needed one. Marlon was the only one that the kids even came close to listening to."

"Didn't he eat slugs in front of a teacher?"

"Yeah. That's how bad the situation was. But there weren't many incidents after that with Mitch and his bombs."

"Who was your dorm-mate?" Clementine looked at Louis.

"Omar," Louis replied. "He was pretty fun, actually. He liked-"

"Fun? He never even talked to anyone. Only ever said a couple of words. Talking to him was like banging your head against a brick wall," Violet told Louis.

"Okay, that's a little harsh. But yeah, he never really spoke much. He knew his way around food though. You could give him a piece of bread and he'd make even that taste good."

"That's an exaggeration."

"He never made stuff for you, so, you wouldn't know," Louis replied to Violet.

"Whatever. Sophie was my dorm-mate," Violet said, ignoring Louis.

"Minnie's sister?" Clementine inquired.

"Yeah. She used to sing really well. Even Minnie, actually. We didn't have school on Saturdays, so we ended up having a lot of free time. Louis played the piano and the two of them sang."

"You remember when the two of us did a song?" Louis asked.

"I sounded like a crow that was being strangled to death."

"Oh, come on, you sing really well."

"You can sing?" Clementine asked.

Violet looked embarrassed. "I… uh.. I mean… sort of…"

"It was a pretty good performance. My notes were on point." Louis imitated an action that Clementine assumed was him pulling his invisible sunglasses off, making them laugh.

"Let's go get more coffee." Violet said as their laughter subsided. She jumped down off the wall.

"You sure that's a good idea to drink so much?"

Violet raised her eyebrow at him. "That's your concern, of all the things? You make it sound like I'm an alcoholic. Besides, who knows when we might get kicked out of here?" She began walking towards the house.

"Hey Clem. Do you think we should come back here after… you know… we get everyone back from Delta?" Louis asked her. He still looked nervous at the thought.

"I… haven't really thought about it," Clementine replied. "What would you do?"

"Um… I guess, come back here? I mean, you know me. I like a stable home with lots of people around. I'm not exactly the traveling type…"

"Yeah…"

"But I'd rather be with everyone. If that means sleeping in a cramped car, well, that's fine by me." Louis seemed set on what was important to him.

"I don't think we'll ever need to do that, honestly," Clementine said. "The situation isn't that bad."

"Well… not what I meant… but… ah you get the sentiment."

"What are you guys talking about?" Violet asked as she opened the door to the house.

"Figuring out what comes next," Clementine said. She headed for the kitchen, preparing the coffee for them.

"Okay, so what did you guys decide?"

Clementine exchanged a glance with Louis. "Well, first, we talk to Jonathan for his help. Maybe he can send some people with us. With just the three of us, and with no idea how or where Delta is, it'll be really difficult. Plus, we don't have any weapons on us."

Violet nodded, listening. "Yeah. I think that's what we should do."

"You agree?" Clementine looked surprised.

"Yeah... I'm not an idiot. This is the only option we have if all of us have to make it back safely. I don't like Jonathan, but he's gotta know more about Beth and Delta than us, right?"

"That's what I think," Louis replied. "He's gotta help us."

"That's settled then," Clementine said. "We'll talk to him when he gets back."

* * *

"You want to break into Delta?" Jonathan asked. He and the kids sat in the living room lit by the white bulb. Darkness had fallen outside. It was somewhere close to late evening when Jonathan had returned. None of them had figured out what Gareth was doing out there all alone. He had a solemn expression on his face as he listened to them.

"That's the only way," Clementine pushed.

"It's not possible."

"Why?" Louis asked.

"Because it's impenetrable. I've seen the place before. It's heavily guarded and their walls are higher than Miletus'." He shook his head. "I'm not sending any of my people to their death."

"Fine," Clementine responded. "Then we'll do it ourselves. Give us some weapons and we'll go on our own."

Jonathan shook his head again. "I'm not going to do that either. It's not going to end well for you and I won't be a part of this."

"What's the problem if in giving us weapons? We're not asking you to come with us," Violet argued.

"We're not exactly in abundant supply of guns. Besides, you're kids. You don't know how protected Delta is. They built it around a prison. And that's where you'll end up if you go there," he said. "If you're lucky enough to survive, that is."

"They've never met anyone like us. We'll be in and out before they know."

Jonathan chuckled. "You remind me of Jared. Always blindly rushing into things. Never stop to think what's most logical."

"So, what's most logical here?" Louis asked.

"Don't take this the wrong way. You kids seem like a good bunch and you've got the capabilities to survive." He paused. "Your friends are gone. You should forget about them. Move on. You can stay here, if you want."

"Did you forget about your wife like that? Or did you do something?" Louis asked. Clementine looked at him. She had never seen him talk like this.

Jonathan looked shocked. For an instant, it appeared as though he was going to punch Louis. "I did," he finally said, relaxing. "And thanks to that, I got more people killed."

"It won't happen this time," Clementine reasoned. "We can-"

"No," he replied flatly. "I'm not going to help you on a suicide mission. If you want to go, you can go on your own. But don't ask me to help." He got up and retreated to his bedroom.

The three kids stared at each other in dismay.

"What the fuck is his problem?" Violet burst out. "Does he really fucking think we're going to forget all of them and let them rot in Delta?"

Clementine didn't reply. Jonathan was their one shot at having a proper rescue. Without other people and weapons, there was no way they were going to get in there in one piece. But how could she leave AJ there? Not after everything they'd been through together. Her jaw tightened. If she would have to go in there alone and get him, she would. It didn't matter whether Jonathan would help them.

"Clem?"

Clementine looked up. Both Louis and Violet were looking at her.

"It's just us, then," she said. "Doesn't look like we're going to be getting any help."

"Yeah," Violet replied. "No chance I'm not going to Delta. Whatever happens there, we'll see. We don't need anyone helping us anyway. We've got this."

"Louis?"

He shrugged. "What? You really think I'm going to say no?"

Clementine nodded. What would she do without the two of them?

"But we still can't just barge in without any weapons," Louis said. "All we have is a knife. That's not very helpful."

"What if we borrowed some?" Violet asked.

"What do you mean?" Clementine asked.

"Well, we could get into the armory and take some weapons. We can return them once we get back. It's not stealing, you know?"

"How are you going to get into the armory? There are going to be people watching over it," Clementine said.

"I guess we're going to have to figure that out. It's the only option we have," Violet said.

"Yeah. Let's sleep over it," Louis proposed. "There's nothing we can do about it right now."

"Sounds good," Violet replied, stifling a yawn. "You coming, Clem?"

"You guys go ahead. I'll be there in a little while," she replied.

Violet nodded, climbing up the stairs to the bedroom.

Clementine sat on the couch. She felt tired, but it didn't look like sleep was going to come early. It had been a really long day. Discovering Jonathan's background, getting any hope of help shot down, reliving McCaroll Ranch; it was a lot for a single day.

She got to her feet. Choosing to go out, she opened the door. It was a windy night. Not a lot of people were outside. She pulled her jacket close around her, shuddering. She could just as well have returned to the warmth of the house, but she needed to step outside. Nothing seemed to be going their way. It was overwhelming, to say the least.

She made her way to the low wall they'd sat on a while ago. Making herself comfortable, she observed the houses. Things seemed so peaceful here. It was like the outside world didn't exist. She wondered why things couldn't be simple for once. And now they were planning to break into Miletus' armory. She had no idea where that even was. Things just couldn't get any worse.


	27. The Grand Escape Plan

"You mind if I sit here?"

Clementine turned around. Jared stood in the corridor behind her. "Yeah… go ahead," she replied, turning back towards the street. The rain was just beginning to fall now. She watched as the lightning tore through the dark skies and the water poured in front of her, creating a cacophony. The few people outside hastened indoors, taking shelter from the weather.

"How's it going?" he asked, seating himself on the wall.

Clementine found herself shrugging.

"That bad?" He stared at the street. "Where are Louis and Violet?"

"They went to the room. I didn't feel like sleeping so I came out here," she told him.

Jared nodded. "So, Beth has the rest of your group?"

"Yeah. Makes me worried about what she'll do to them."

"You're planning to get them back?" he asked.

"I want to. But I have no idea where Delta is. Or how to even get in. And Jonathan doesn't want to help us," she said. She had no idea why she was telling him this.

"What did he say?"

Clementine looked at him. There was…. relief in his eyes? "That he didn't want to send any of his people to die and that he didn't want to be a part of our rescue."

Jared was silent for a moment. "What if I help you?"

She faced him, surprised. "What do you mean?"

"I'll come with you to Delta and we can get your friends back."

Clementine found a balloon of hope suddenly grow inside of her. "Why?"

"Well, call it a stranger's kindness. After all, what's humanity if we don't help each other," he explained. "Besides, I can take a shot at Beth too, if we find her. End this thing for once."

"You'd risk your life for someone you don't know?"

"I don't get to do anything here other than the usual traps and a supply run every now and then. If we get rid of Beth, at least I'll be taken seriously here."

"You're sure you want to come?" Clementine asked, hoping he would still say yes. Another helping hand and things could turn out for the better.

"You're going either way, right? I might as well come along. I can help make sure that everything goes according to plan."

"Okay, let's do it then," she replied. She couldn't help the smile spreading across her face. "How far is it from here?"

"Delta? About a day's walk. We can leave tomorrow night and be there by the next. Perfect cover for slipping in."

"Sounds perfect. Do you know a way to get in?"

Jared thought for a moment. "No," he said. "But we can find a way in once we get there."

"Yeah, that's true. And what about weapons?" she asked, remembering that they didn't have anything. Telling him that she took his father's knife wasn't a good idea.

"I can get you into the armory. Pick out something that they won't notice is missing right away." He looked around. "We can do that tomorrow."

"Okay," Clementine replied, nodding. "And Jonathan? Is he going to allow you to do this?"

He chuckled softly. "Who knows. But I had a supply run planned tomorrow with Gareth. He's gone but I can tell dad I still want to go. I can say that the three of you are accompanying me. The run is important to him. That way we don't even have to steal weapons."

She nodded her understanding. Jared seemed to know how to plan properly.

"I'll finally get to see AJ again," she said.

"The kid?"

Clementine gave him a questioning glance.

"Uh… dad told me about him. So, you've been taking care of him for long?" he asked.

"Yep. Ever since he was born. We're the only ones that survived from our group. It's just been us more or less after that, until we met Louis and Violet. We became a part of their group after that."

"You seem to have done a fair share of moving around then."

"Yeah," Clementine replied. "Quite a few groups and communities. Didn't really feel safe until this group. And now it's all fucked up again. Don't know what we did to Beth to deserve this."

"You'd never met her before?" Jared asked.

She shook her head. "No. But I guess this is how it always is. People killing and attacking each other for no reason."

"Yeah…" He slowly stood up. "I think I'm going to head to bed. I'll talk to you tomorrow." He picked up his bag from the side and vanished into the house.

Clementine stared ahead. The rain had come to a stop. She felt better now. This was the first step to things going back to the way they were. She knew Delta wasn't as easy as just the planning, but it wasn't enough to deter her from trying. Getting off the wall, she headed back to the house, eager to tell Louis and Violet of the new plan.

* * *

"Clem, wake up."

Clementine opened her eyes. Immediately, a million thoughts flew into her head. She rubbed her eyes, throwing the blanket off of her.

She'd spoken to the two of them about Jared willing to help them. Violet had been reluctant at first, but she'd agreed after realising that they needed any help they could get. She, too, was eager to get everyone else back.

"What time is it?" Clementine asked.

"Late enough," Louis replied. "You sure slept really well."

"Yeah…" she yawned. Heading to the bathroom, she washed her face. "How are you guys feeling?"

"Pretty freaked out, honestly," he confessed. "But just as glad that I'll see everyone again."

"Same," Violet said. "I just hope things go smoothly. I don't want anything happening to either of you…"

Clementine sat down next to her. "It'll all be over before you realise it. A couple of days from now and we'll all be together." For once, she found herself keeping away from the negative thoughts that usually ran amok.

"First thing I'm going to do once we get back is have a bath," Louis said.

"You can have one right now, you know?" Violet suggested.

"Actually, I wouldn't mind one myself. It'll at least be relaxing. And I think they have hot water," Clementine said.

"Well, what more do we want?" Louis asked, getting up.

"So, what's our plan for today?" Violet asked. "You know… before we leave."

"Other than the armory, I don't think we have anything to do until the night," Clementine replied.

"The waiting is the shitty part. God, it just gives me enough time to worry about everything that could go wrong."

"Yeah, I don't like the waiting either," Louis added. "Given a chance, I'd rather just leave now."

"Me too," Clementine said. "But it's going to be okay. We might as well find something to distract ourselves."

"True. I think I'm gonna go and fix that piano. It'll give me something to do."

"I'll come with you," Violet said. "Not like I have anything better to do."

* * *

"Clementine, a word?" Jonathan asked, gesturing to the living room.

Clementine had just finished her bath and was heading down the stairs. She nodded at him, taking a seat on the couch.

"Jared wants to go on the supply run today. I told him I wouldn't send him alone but he said the three of you agreed to go with him."

"We were talking yesterday and I think it'll be good for the three of us to do something different," she replied.

"You've done supply runs before?" he asked.

"Yeah." She nodded. "I know how they work."

"Are you sure you three are up for it?"

"We are. I'm sure it'll work out well."

"Normally, I wouldn't send you alone. Gareth would have handled this, if he was still here. Still, I'm trusting you with this because we really need this done and it shouldn't be too dangerous. I've already got another group heading East. Don't make this blow up on me. The location isn't too far from here. I've marked it on the map with Jared. See if you can find anything useful. Medicines are obviously the most important but I doubt there will be any and whether they will have even survived for so long."

"I know. We'll keep our eyes open."

"Weapons are priority too. You find knives, rifles, handguns, even swords, you bring them back. We'll have someone fix them up here. And Clementine? Uh… keep a watch over Jared, okay? I don't want anything happening to that kid."

She had never heard concern in Jonathan's voice about Jared. "I will."

He hesitated before he spoke. "And… I'm sorry about your friends. I know it's hard to let go but it's the best option right now."

"Yeah…"

As their conversation ended, she watched him leave the house. Explaining four new kids to Jonathan once they got back from Delta was going to be one big task. Still, that was the least of her concerns currently. Trying to keep her mind occupied and prevent herself from dwelling on the escape plan for too long, she called Louis and Violet downstairs.

"What tools do you think you'll need?" she asked Louis as they headed to the Town Hall, having unanimously agreed to aid Louis in fixing up the piano.

"No idea," he replied. "Let's see what the problem is first. I'll go get the tools as I need them."

It was late morning. Light rain accompanied them through the streets. A small group passed by them, armed with rifles.

"That must be the other group Jonathan was talking about," Clementine guessed. "He'd said they were heading East on another supply run."

"They came from that building," Louis said, pointing ahead.

"That must be their armory. At least we don't have to steal from there anymore."

Reaching the Hall, they made their way to the storage room. The piano still sat in the corner, covered with dust.

Louis walked over, taking a good look over the entire instrument. He raised the lid, sneezing as it unsettled the dust inside. He dropped it back, creating a racket. "This is going to take a while. The hammers seem off and the strings are slightly rusted, but I think I can do something about it. I'll be back."

Clementine and Violet sat down on the chairs as they waited for Louis to return.

"Hey Clem?" Violet began, "what do you think I should do about Minnie? I know you said she didn't join Delta on purpose, but I just feel like she… betrayed us by doing that."

"You don't have to forgive her," Clementine replied. "But holding a grudge against her won't help either. We all do what we need to do to survive."

Violet turned her head towards Clementine. "Would you forgive someone like that?"

"I don't know. But I think it'll take time. She's your friend after all. And she hasn't done anything to endanger you or the others. When Louis and I found her, she decided to come with us, instead of staying with Delta. That has to count."

"Yeah, you're right. Don't know what I was thinking. We've got bigger problems than my brain right now."

"That's not what I'm saying. I mean that she wasn't wrong in joining Delta given the circumstances. It was either join or get shot," Clementine tried to explain.

"Yeah…"

Louis reappeared, carrying a cloth and a couple of other things. "You two okay? You look even more distressed than I am."

Clementine chuckled. "We're okay. So, what do you want help with?"

"Nothing right now. If I need something, I'll tell you guys."

She watched Louis get to work on the piano. She could see the love he had for the instrument as he moved around, trying to get the strings playing again. His becoming involved in the activity seemed to have made him forget the task that lay ahead of them that night.

"You'd find him like this every weekend at Ericson's," Violet told Clementine as they both looked at him.

"It must be nice, being able to play something," she replied.

"It is. Sophie used to play the guitar. Marlon would tell her that they'd roam the country playing music for others."

"Marlon plays the guitar too?"

Violet shook her head. "No. He sang. At least, for a while. Haven't heard him sing for some time now."

The rest of the day flitted by. They went back to the house to eat something, returning to the Hall after that. It was keeping their minds occupied, which is what they needed at that instant. They knew that the escape plan wasn't easy but wallowing in their fear and nervousness wasn't the best idea.

It was evening when Louis exclaimed in joy. "There! It's finally done!"

Clementine wiped her brow. This had taken a lot longer than she'd expected, but it was worth it, now that she'd get to hear it. "So, you can play now?" she asked, excited to listen to the music. She couldn't remember the last time she had heard any instrument.

Louis made his way over to the seat. "I hope I can play. It's been way too long." With that, he began playing. It wasn't what he was hoping, but it was the best under the circumstances. The sound filled the room as his fingers glided across the keyboard.

"Hey, I know this song," Clementine said, remembering the tune. "We had a tape. Is it-"

"Oh my darling, oh my darling, oh my darling, Clementine!" Louis sang.

"Really Louis? That's the first thing you decide to play?" Violet asked. There was a slight annoyance in her voice

"I really liked this song. My dad used to play it for me," Clementine recalled.

"That was good."

They turned to the door. Jared entered, carrying a bag.

"Finally got it working?" he asked.

"Took a while. But worth it," Louis replied.

"Great. It's getting dark now. I'll take you to the armory. Take what you can use. We'll leave after that."

The three of them stood in silence for a moment before proceeding to follow him. The time had finally come.


	28. The Journey to Delta

The armory was housed in the same building that the three of them had seen the East supply run group exiting from. It didn't look any special from the outside, blended in with the other buildings along the streets. Jared opened the door and walked inside.

The general layout for the building was the same as Jonathan's house. A few guns lay on a mat in the living room as a thin, bespectacled man cleaned them. He only gave them a momentary glance before resuming his work. The stairs in front of them ended at a door.

Another man sat at a table in the area where the kitchen would have been, a book open in front of him. "These three the new kids?" he asked Jared.

Jared nodded. "We need to arm them for the supply run."

The man took a look at the three. "I thought you wouldn't go without Gareth, may his soul rest in peace."

"Yeah, it was tough. But we need it done," Jared replied.

"Were you at the burial yesterday? I heard Sasha was all broken up about it."

"Don't know. I didn't go."

The man was silent for a second before he pulled a key out of his pocket and laid it on the table. "Return them when you're leaving, please."

"I know. I'm not new." Jared grabbed the keys and made his way to the top of the stairs. "Right behind this," he told them as he unlocked the door and let them in. The room was naturally lit by the windows. Tables were arranged all around. The rifles and other larger weapons were placed on racks along the walls, while the smaller guns sat on the tables.

Louis and Violet looked in awe. They had never seen anything like this before. It seemed like all kinds of guns were present in that room. Neither of them was a very good shooter though, having never worked with guns before.

"This took a long time to get together," Jared said, pride in his voice.

Clementine looked around. She had seen armories before and had learned to only take what she was sure she could use. Picking up a rifle and realising in the midst of a firefight that it too much for her to handle the recoil was not a very survival-friendly idea. She walked to the handguns, inspecting them. Something that could fit into her hand was ideal. Finally settling on one, she picked it up.

"Good call," Jared said, eyeing the weapon. "What do you two want?"

"You have anything sharp? Like a machete?" Violet asked.

"Really? You want that?"

"Is that a problem?"

"Your choice. There," he replied, pointing to the corner where the melee weapons were. "Don't get yourself killed before we even get there."

"Do you have something like a baseball bat?" Louis asked as Violet ignored Jared and stalked off to arm herself. He was experienced with Chairles and could definitely be useful with a weapon similar to that.

"Uh… not here. But I can find one if that's what you what you really want. I'll bring it to the gate."

"Yeah… I'm not really great with guns of any kind. Only Clem is."

"Suit yourself." He looked at Clementine before he spoke. "Get your bags and meet me at the gates. I've put out some cans of food on the kitchen counter. Take those with you."

* * *

The cans sat on the counter like Jared had said. Violet opened her bag, throwing a few of them in. "Take the rest," she told Clementine and Louis. Louis moved forward. Clementine didn't. "Clem?"

Clementine stared at the cans, but her mind was elsewhere. She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard her name called. Realising her hands were shaking, she quickly grabbed the cans, hoping that her shaking would go unnoticed. "Let's just go," she said, placing the items in her bag.

Silence fell upon the trio as they shuffled the contents in their bags. Before long, they realised they were just handing things to each other aimlessly, as if trying to delay walking towards the gate. Clementine gave her bag one final look before pulling the zip close and pulling it on. Louis and Violet slowly followed her example.

Stepping out of the house into the cold once again, Clementine shuddered. Rubbing her hands, she led them to the gate. Jared stood there, talking to the guard.

"Took you guys long enough," he said. "Here." He landed Louis a baseball bat.

She looked back at Violet to see if she would say anything. The blonde girl simply stared at the ground, beyond the point of annoyance.

"You kids be safe out there," the guard said. "It's already dark." She opened the gate, letting them through.

The three of them had never seen the outside of Miletus. With whatever light that shone out of the walls, they could make out the green and white sign that read 'Miletus'. A small white arrow underneath pointed towards the community.

Jared pulled out a flashlight, turning on it intermittently as he guided them along the road. For a while, none of them said anything. They avoided all the walkers that they could, getting their hands dirty only when they needed to. The sound of crickets filled their ears. It was a starry night. The cold was only kept at bay by the fact the four of them were moving. It would get unbearable the moment any of them stopped.

They continued on the road for what seemed like hours. Coming to an intersection, Jared headed towards the right.

"You guys okay?" Clementine asked Louis and Violet.

"It's fucking cold," Violet said, shuddering slightly.

"Yeah," Louis agreed. "How about you?"

"I'm okay," Clementine replied. It was starting to feel like the rescue at McCaroll Ranch again, just with more people by her side.

"If my fingers stay like this, there's no way I can swing this bat."

"It'll get warmer soon. It must be the middle of the night right now."

"Shitty winters," Violet cursed. "We've been walking for a long time now. Could we… um… take a break?"

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea." Clementine walked rapidly, catching up with Jared. "You're not feeling cold?" she asked him.

"What…?" he asked. His attention seemed to be elsewhere.

"Are you not feeling cold?"

"No, not really. I'm used to this now."

She nodded. "We should take a break. It's too cold to keep moving and we're all tired."

Jared looked back. "Yeah, alright. Let's find a place here." They swung off the road and headed into the trees. The smell of wet earth invaded their senses as they walked through the dark. Everything seemed damp, not that any of them cared. They were too tired to.

Finally settling on a relatively open spot that gave them just enough cover, they set their bags down and tried to rub some warmth into themselves.

Violet sat down. She appeared just short of frozen solid, trembling now. Clementine and Louis sat on either side of her, trying to warm her up. Violet barely mumbled a thanks.

"I didn't realise the forest would be this cold," Clementine said.

"Rain and winds aren't the best combination in the world," Louis replied. His teeth were chattering.

Clementine noticed Jared sitting by himself. "Jared, you can come over. It's warm enough here."

"Uh… no I'm okay. It's warm here, too," he replied, pulling his jacket closer around him.

"I'm beginning to the hate the rain now," Louis confessed.

Clementine chuckled. The cold was numbing her mind. "I feel like throwing myself into a fire."

"Greatest fucking idea I've heard," Violet commented. "But I'd do the same."

"We should just move to Florida or Texas. The heat is so much better," Louis proposed.

"I've never been to Texas," Clementine confessed.

"Me neither," Violet added. "I mean… living in a trailer with barely enough money to do anything wasn't the best way to travel. The most I got were visits to the carnivals."

"We can go after this. It's not like anything's stopping us."

"Settled, then," Louis declared. "We go to Texas with everyone."

"Any of you can drive?" Clementine asked. Louis and Violet shook their head. "Well, we just have to find an RV now."

The weather seemed to fade away into the background as the three of them talked. Their minds were so occupied with what lay ahead, the little break they got there served to soothe their thoughts. Soon enough, however, they began to drift into sleep. Clementine tried to stay awake for a while on watch, but found it immensely difficult. A few times she was sure she caught Jared looking her way. He didn't seem as tired as them. He was more… quiet than she had seen him before. With thoughts swirling in her head, she didn't know when sleep took over.

They resumed their journey as the light broke the night sky. They felt much better with the sun out now. The temperature had increased, making the walk bearable. They could hear the birds now, chirping in the trees above them.

"Not a lot of walkers," Violet observed. "Don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing."

"Obviously good," Louis replied. "Name one good reason why you would even want to see them again."

"Fair point," she conceded. "How much farther?"

All of them seemed much more at peace with what was to come, as if they had resigned themselves to the future. Fretting over it was meaningless. Being worried was not worth it. They would deal with the problems as they arose.

"Little while longer. We'll scope the place out and get in when it gets dark enough," Jared said. He also seemed much more relaxed after the night.

"Sounds good," Clementine said.

"Hope we don't have to use weapons," Louis wishfully said.

"If we do, I hope I get to stab Beth," Violet said, gritting her teeth. "It'll almost make everything worth it."

"Not if I beat you to it," Clementine said.

"You two freak me out sometimes," Louis commented. "But yeah, I get the sentiment. I probably wouldn't hesitate too."

"Well, whoever gets to her first is the winner," Violet proposed.

"Sounds like something I'd win at," Clementine replied, flashing a quick smile at Louis and Violet.

"Oh, you're on."

The day passed by as they made the tedious walk to Delta. They halted only a few times to catch their breath. Getting through it as early as possible was the best approach. Louis practiced his swing on a few walkers, exhaling in relief once he was sure he could still take them on. Violet seemed to be okay with her knife as she downed some of the dead. They weren't their weapons, but they did feel comfortable in their hands.

The light was already fading when Jared stopped walking. He motioned at the others to take cover. "There," he told them, pointing ahead.

Clementine looked in the direction of his fingers. Large grey walls stared back at her. Guards stood on platforms built behind the walls, heavily armed being an understatement. She could see the soft glow of light emanating from within. The buildings inside made the prison look humungous, to say the least.

"What now?" Louis asked, echoing Clementine and Violet's thoughts.

"We need to find a way over the walls," Jared replied. "I'll check this way." Before any of them could agree, he was already gone.

"That wall is pretty high. We're going to need a rope or something," Violet said.

"Jared said he had one," Clementine told them. "We just need to find a spot we can climb over and not get killed midway."

"Heartening talk," Louis commented. "Jonathan wasn't kidding when he said this place is heavily guarded."

"I know…" Clementine slowly started moving in the opposite direction of where Jared had disappeared. "Let's see what we find."

The three of them crept through the bushes and trees, keeping a safe distance from the walls. They couldn't move any faster than that, without the fear of being spotted. Once, Violet almost tripped into the open and it looked like the guard atop one of the platforms saw her, but he cast a quick glance in their direction before looking away.

"I need to stop fucking tripping over everything," Violet said, annoyed. "That guy almost saw us."

"Yeah, I thought we were done for," Louis replied. "Look, there's the gate."

"Doesn't look like there's any hope this side. Let's head back and see what Jared found." Clementine led them back to their original spot. Jared hadn't turned up yet.

"Where is this guy?" Violet asked, glancing around.

"Hopefully he hasn't gotten himself captured," Louis said.

"Hope not. We need him to do this," Clementine said. "One person can make a big difference."

"Agreed. It's pretty dark now. Probably a good time to make our move."

The bushes behind them rustled and out came Jared. "I found a spot. Looks pretty clear. This way."

Clementine heaved a sigh of relief. One more thing done.

They began following him the other way. Walking a short while, they stopped in the bushes once again. "There," he said, pointing at the wall. There were two buildings inside the wall, between which they would land.

"You found this place in that much time?" Louis asked.

"Yeah…" he replied. "Light was running out so I had to run a bit. There isn't anyone here. We can get in from this side."

"Well, let's go then. It's dark enough to hide us," Clementine said.

"How are we getting in?" Violet questioned. "There's no place to tie a rope and the wall is too high to climb."

"I'm the tallest here. I can help one of you get over the wall. Take the rope and see what you can tie it to on the other side," Jared proposed. He was slightly taller than Louis.

"I'll do it," Clementine instantly volunteered.

"Come on then."

They swiftly moved towards the wall. Jared stood with his back against the wall, holding out his hands in a cup-shape. "Run towards me and I'll boost you up with my hands."

Clementine nodded. Moving back a little she caught some momentum as she ran to him. As she placed one foot on his hands, he pushed her up. She was light enough that he could manage it without much of an issue. She caught the edge of the wall. The rough stone edges cut into her palms.

Grunting, she pulled herself up, first an elbow, then the other and then the leg. Sitting on the wall, she caught the rope that Jared threw at her, jumping inside Delta. She eyed her surroundings, looking for anything that she could fasten the rope to. It was dark but there was just enough light for her to make sense. She was in a short alleyway. A road ran perpendicular to the end of the alley, another building on the other side.

A pole caught her eye. It stood near the wall, perhaps the source of a fence once upon a time. She pulled at it, testing its strength. It seemed firmly attached to the ground. Tying the rope carefully, she threw the other end over the wall, praying that it wouldn't fray against the edges of the wall when the others climbed.

In a few short seconds, hands appeared at the top of the wall and Jared jumped over.

"Good job," he said.

Clementine nodded, waiting for Louis and Violet to climb up. It took a few minutes, but both finally had them had their feet planted on the dangerous side of the wall.

"Here. Let's check this building out," Jared said, walking towards a black door that Clementine had missed. He opened it, beckoning them in.

"Where are all the guards?" Violet asked.

"Does it matter?" Clementine asked. Now that they had gotten into Delta, all she could think about was rescuing AJ.

"No but… never mind. How are we gonna know which building to look in?"

"There's a lot here," Louis added.

"Come on," Jared said. "Let's see if they're here."

Clementine knew she had to take the chance. Even if she had to look in every building, she would. She stepped inside the building. It was lit by a bulb. As far as she could see, it seemed like an empty store room.

Jared walked past her. Opening the door on the other side, he slowly stepped out. They were in a corridor. "Here," he instructed, quickly moving towards the right. The bulbs cast a nightmarish yellow light all around. Two doors appeared, side by side. "Check this one," he told Clementine, opening the next.

Clementine found it surprisingly ajar and cautiously pushed it open. It was dark. She could only make out the window.

"Can't see shit here," she heard Violet's voice behind her.

The deafening slam of the door made the three of them jump out of their skins.

"What the fuck?" Violet hissed, turning around. She pushed down the handle. Nothing happened.

"Fuck! They'll all have heard this," Clementine whispered urgently. "Try and open it!"

"I am fucking trying! It's not moving for shit."

"Guys, do you hear that?" Louis asked. His voice was shaking.

"What?" Clementine questioned. She paused to listen. He was right. She could definitely hear it. There were footsteps. Multiple. They grew louder until they stopped right outside their door.

The three of them stood still staring at the door, hearts beating rapidly.

The door suddenly flew open.

Clementine's breath caught in her throat. She didn't know the two men who were pointing their rifles at her. But she knew the lady. She knew her face far too well.

It was Beth.


	29. The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

The three of them stood in stunned silence as Beth calmly entered the room, the two men following her.

"You didn't think it was going to be that easy, did you?" she asked.

Clementine refused to believe her eyes. It couldn't have happened this way. Not when they were so close to rescuing the others.

"I'll fucking kill you myself," she heard Violet say next to her.

"You remember what happened the last time one of you spoke out of turn, right?" Beth asked, instantly silencing any further rebellion.

Clementine looked around. There was no escape from there, not without picking a fight.

"Why don't we have a chat?"

"Where's Jared?" Clementine questioned, noticing his absence.

Beth almost appeared amused. "You still haven't figured it out? I thought you were a smart one."

"What…?" Had she killed him already?

Beth noticed the look on Clementine's face. "How do you think you got here?"

Clementine was starting to realise the truth. "We planned it," she replied in a desperate bid to prove her realization wrong. They could not have messed it up so bad.

"If only. I wondered if you kids would take the bait. You were so desperate; you didn't even bother looking ahead."

"That's not true." Clementine found herself making feeble arguments. There was nothing she could say to refute the fact.

"Jared was… with you?" Louis hesitantly asked, coming to the same realization.

"He always has been."

"But, why would he even? You left his mom to die."

"Jonathan doesn't know how to raise a kid," Beth said. "I looked after Jared for most of his childhood while Jonathan and Ellie were off on their trips. Every kid needs a parental figure in their lives."

"A parental figure like you?" Clementine couldn't understand how Jared could have even trusted Beth.

Beth didn't seem to take offense at that. It was as if she was… normal and not the maniac they had seen a few days ago. "I do like him. In fact, I care about everyone at Delta. And he has a future here. Of course, it might mean that one day Jonathan has to die. But those are the sacrifices we make.

"At Delta, we provide for each other and look out for each other. It's the survival of the fittest out there and we make damn sure we survive."

"By attacking others?" Violet spat. She had finally found her voice.

"We do what we have to," Beth replied. "It's not personal. It's just how the world is. You'll understand it too one day."

"We'll never be like you," Clementine declared angrily.

Beth chuckled. "I used to think too. That I could survive on the niceties of the world. That all everyone needed after the outbreak was help, and all that bullshit. It didn't get me anywhere. I lost my entire family with that. No, all we need is to be strong. The weak cannot stay alive. The strong need to stick together to make it through. So that others don't take away what we have."

Clementine couldn't help but listen to her words. They seemed to speak right to her.

"You three are capable hands," Beth continued. "You can find a home right here, at Delta. You can have everything you've ever wanted. Join us and you'll survive too." She looked at Clementine. "Your kid can grow up here too. He'll be more prepared for this world than even you were. He'll grow into a fine man. All we ask is that you defend our home, together."

Clementine was in a trance. She could envision herself finding a home here, for AJ's sake. She could watch him grow up in safety, never having to worry about food or water. This could be it. After all this time, they-

"Fuck you!" Violet yelled. "You think we want to fucking join your gang after you murdered people close to us? Kids! You killed kids! And now you killed Brody! She didn't even fucking do anything to you! She- she-" The tears rolled down her face as she remembered the friends she'd lost.

"We're not going to join you. Ever," Clementine said, snapping out of it. She wasn't going to be what Beth was, what Delta was. It wasn't her, and it never would be.

"What a pity," Beth said, an unnerving smile spreading across her face. "I'm not surprised. I knew you would be difficult. Doesn't matter. With time, all you kids will come to your senses. Here, or wherever I decide to throw you. You'll be grateful for this, one day." She signaled at the two men. "Get them to Block A."

The two men immediately walked towards the kids, roughly shoving them outside. "Let's go," one of them said.

They were led to the door at the end of the corridor. One of the men opened it and prodded them forwards, out of the building and into an alleyway. Jared stood there.

"I'll fucking kill you!" Clementine yelled as she leapt at him.

"Hey! What the fuck are you doing!" the guard yelled, yanking her away by the back of her jacket.

She fell to the ground with the force.

"Get up!"

She was suddenly back on her feet, having been lifted up roughly.

"Clem, are you okay?" Violet asked, worried.

"She's fine. Don't make me do something you three will regret," the guard retorted, pushing them onwards.

Jared didn't say anything, his eyes focused on the ground.

There were a total of five buildings along the perimeter walls of the prison. The actual prison was built in the middle. It was a large structure that was divided into four parts, corridors connecting all of them. A fence ran around the whole thing, a short open field between them. Four tall guard towers stood in line with each edge of the building, near the fences. They could see the light shining out of the windows of the prison.

They came to the gate of the fence. Beyond that, a sign above the door on the building read 'Block A.' They entered, finding themselves in a room. A man with greying hair sat in the corner, as if waiting for their arrival.

"Take them to the cells," the guard said.

The man nodded.

"And no bullshit again. This is your last chance, get it? Beth has her eyes on you."

The man promptly nodded again, almost fearfully. He picked up his gun and pointed it at the kids. "That way," he told them, flicking his weapon towards a corridor.

The three of them slowly made their way through it, the man following close behind.

"Please, you can let us go," Clementine tried pleading.

"I can't," the man replied. "Beth will kill me. And you can't escape from here. Not unless she wants you to."

"We'll find our own way. We just want our people back and we'll be gone. I promise. You won't even-"

"Go through the door here," the man said, cutting her off. They seemed to be in a security room. They could see the cells through the window. He unlocked the door that led inside.

A relatively large open area greeted them. Eight cell doors were divided around the room. Each door housed a corridor of more cells. They stopped at the first cell on their left. Fumbling with the keys, the man opened the cell door, gun still pointed at them.

"Get in there," he instructed them.

"You can-" Clementine started.

"I can't. I'm sorry. This is how it's going to be."

They slowly entered, watching the cell-door bang shut behind them.

"Violet"?

Minnie stood in the cell right next to them, widened eyes staring at them. She rushed forward, throwing her arms around Violet. "I can't believe it."

Clementine stepped ahead, looking for AJ. The corridor extended to three cells on either side. It was lit only by one hanging light in the middle, making most of it dark. She prayed he was here. Finding a small sleeping figure in the second, she slowly moved towards it. She laid a hand on it and watched a head appear.

It was AJ.

A small cry escaped her throat as she wrapped her arms around him. She could feel her heart beat rapidly as she clutched onto him, as if he would disappear if she let go.

"Clem?"

She only tightened her grip around him in response, feeling a stray tear roll down her face.

"I missed you," she said, finally releasing him.

"It's really you?"

Clementine nodded. She didn't expect AJ to throw himself into her arms again, almost knocking the wind out of her.

"I thought you were gone," he said, after having satisfied himself that she wasn't a dream.

"I thought so, too, kiddo. But I told you, I'll never let anything happen to you. I plan to keep my promise."

He nodded. "What are you doing here?"

Clementine shook her head, feeling her anger and confusion resurge.

By now everyone was wide awake. Clementine felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning around, she found Aasim standing there.

"Clementine? What's going on?" he asked, confused to see her.

All of them sat down on the bed as the three new captives retold the events of the preceding few days.

"What happened to you guys?" Violet asked.

"We saw your van go out of control," Aasim replied. "Beth refused to stop. When we got here, we were pulled out and sent here. They only let us out yesterday. Made us do some work for them."

"And AJ? Do they make you work?" Clementine asked, turning towards AJ.

"Not much," Aasim replied. "But Beth tried to talk to him a few times. I think she's trying to get into his head."

"I'm not going to be like her," AJ said.

"I know, kiddo. But be careful around her. All of us need to be careful. We can't have anything happen to the rest of us." She looked around. "Where's Marlon?" she asked, noticing his absence.

Minnie and Aasim exchanged a glance.

"What?" Clementine asked, noticing their exchange.

"He… he's still broken up about Brody. And… he blames you for it," Aasim told her.

"Me?" She got up, looking for him in the other cells. She found him sitting in his bed, leaning against the wall. "Hey."

"You shouldn't have come here," he said, coldly.

"What do you mean?" she asked, taken-aback.

"Brody. This. Everything that's happened to us is your fault. You picked up that fucking bag and brought this on our head."

"It's not my fault," she defended herself. "I did everything for us."

"And look where that got us." He scoffed. "You should have stayed wherever you were. It's better if you're not here. None of us will get killed by your decisions. I'm sure even AJ is better off without you."

"Don't you dare fucking talk about AJ," she growled, her anger flaring up. Her hands and legs had begun shaking.

"Marlon, cut it out. It's not her fault and you know," Violet defended Clementine.

"Yeah, calm down man," Louis aided her. "It's nobody's fault. All of us miss Brody. But you can't-"

"I can't what?" Marlon interrupted him. "You two need to see what she is. I heard your story. About that guy who got you here. You two blindly followed her and look where that got you. She can't even see what's right in front of her."

"It wasn't her fault!" Violet almost yelled in frustration. "Louis and I didn't see it either. We were too fucked up worrying about all of you. Clementine getting that bag meant we got Minnie back. Don't blame her."

"So, it's Minnie for Brody then?"

"Oh, fucking hell. I can't do this right now." She turned around, walking out of the cell.

"You're going to walk out like her too?" Marlon asked Louis.

"Marlon… it's been a really bad few days. Let's just figure this out tomorrow."

Clementine stood rooted to her spot. She was shaken. Was she really to blame? Louis had told her not to take the bag but she still had. And now Brody was dead and all of them were prisoners. And Jared. Why did she not see that coming? Could this all be her fault?

She left Marlon's cell. Maybe she was to blame. Maybe AJ was better off without her.

"Clem?" she heard Louis' voice.

"Y-yeah?" she responded, looking at him.

"Look, he's not himself. That's his way of trying to deal with Brody's loss. Don't let what he said get to you. We have more things to do."

"Yeah."

"I don't think it's your fault." He gave her an awkward one-arm hug. "Get some sleep"

Clementine appreciated him. They had trusted Jared and it had cost them. They were now in a very precarious position. And Marlon. She didn't know what to do about him. Sighing, she rejoined the others.


	30. One in Seven

Clementine spent most of the night awake. Every time she would fall asleep, she'd be awoken by the ghosts of her mistakes. Marlon's words had greatly affected her. Things were fine and then… it felt he had turned into someone she didn't recognize. When the sun finally crept into the cell-corridor, she sat up, rubbing some warmth into her face.

AJ was still asleep. Clementine had stayed up with him until his eyes had closed, only then climbing up onto the bunk bed. She'd look down on him every little while, afraid that he wouldn't be there.

She shuddered, wrapping the blanket close around her. The cell walls weren't particularly warm, instead doing their best to harbor the cold in the cells. She got down just in time to hear a voice bellow outside the cell-door.

"Wake up!" A loud clang of something hitting the metal bars echoed through the cells.

Clementine shook AJ awake, sitting beside his sleeping frame.

"Hey. How you doing?" she heard Louis behind her.

"Not too bad," she lied. "You?"

"Could be better," he replied. It appeared as though he hadn't slept much either. "I still can't get over Jared… I didn't expect something like that. Maybe we should've seen it coming. Maybe-"

Another loud clang ran through the room. "I want everyone in a line here!" the voice yelled. Clementine felt relieved at getting out of the conversation. It had bothered her for the entire night.

The seven kids lined up in the corridor. Clementine avoided Marlon's eyes as they did so. They watched as the door opened. It was the same guard from yesterday that had brought Clementine, Louis and Violet to Block A. Beside him stood the man Clementine had shot when they found Minnie.

"Didn't expect to see you here," Ed said to Clementine, a triumphant grin on his face. "My shoulder's still not healed. You'll be payin' for that."

"Not if I put another bullet in your head first," Clementine growled.

The grin fell off Ed's face as he looked at her with unbridled hatred. "You watch that mouth, sweet girl. Or I'll make sure you gon' be missing a few teeth."

"Come on now," the other man intervened. "Just like the days before, you lot will be helping out with whatever we need. After eating, half of you will be heading to Woods Hold. You're going to help in clearing some stuff."

"What stuff?" Louis asked.

"Did I say you could ask questions? You do what you're told and you'll survive."

Louis instantly went quiet.

"The other half will stay here and help Ed in Block C. Is that understood?"

The kids nodded their heads.

"Good. Let's go."

* * *

"What is this?" Violet whispered, looking at her food. It seemed to be vegetables floating in a translucent liquid.

The seven of them were seated at a table. Meals were served to both, members of Delta as well as the prisoners, in the cafeteria. The food was different for them, though.

"It's some soup," Aasim replied. "Prisoners don't get the best food."

"So, what do they get?" Clementine asked, poking her food with the spoon.

"Better cooked vegetables? And meat sometimes. You better eat it though. They don't like it if you throw the food. And you'll need it for whatever they want you to do."

Clementine was far from being hungry but thought the better of it and scooped the first spoonful into her mouth. It wasn't all that bad. She'd had worse before.

"They give you breakfast and dinner," Aasim said, breaking the silence that had descended upon them.

"Fuckers can't even give us edible food," Violet said with disgust.

"Careful. You don't want them to hear you."

Clementine looked around the room. There were at least ten other people in there with them, eating breakfast. Beth wasn't there.

"There are no other prisoners?" she asked.

Aasim shook his head. "There was a group of three guys up until yesterday. We haven't seen them since a couple of guards came to take them out."

"They had better not separate us," Violet said.

Marlon had not said a word since waking up. He drank his soup, barely even glancing up at the rest of them.

Clementine decided to say something. "Marlon?"

He slowly looked up, recognizing the voice.

"You okay?"

He scoffed softly, returning to his food without another word.

An uncomfortable pause followed.

"What's that guy's name?" Louis asked about the unknown guard from the morning, trying to ease the situation.

"Cain," Aasim replied.

As if summoned by his name, Cain appeared at their table. "You all better be done eating." His eyes swept over the kids. "You, you and you, you're coming with me," he said, pointing at Clementine, Aasim and Minerva.

Clementine felt a stab of panic when she realised she was going to be separated from AJ again. Before she could stop herself, she was already blurting out. "And AJ. Please," she almost begged, her eyes beseeching.

Cain stared at her for a long hard second. "The kid is your problem," he finally said as he turned around and walked away.

Clementine exhaled.

"So, I'm coming with you?" AJ asked.

"Yeah," she replied.

"You don't have to watch over me. I can handle myself now."

"I'm not. I just think we can look out for each other," she said, satiating AJ's newfound sense of freedom.

"You guys be careful out there, okay?" Violet said to her as they got up from the table.

Clementine nodded, before heading over to Cain with Minerva, Aasim and AJ.

Cain hardly acknowledged their presence, talking to another woman. None of them dared to interrupt him. He was much taller than any of them. His hair had been cut short a reddish mark ran down his neck.

The four simply stood in silence, waiting for him to speak. He finally turned to them.

"Rob and I will be taking you to Woods Hold," he told them. "I'll tell you what you have to do once we get there." He began heading out of the room with Rob, the woman, and the kids close behind them. They made their way out of the block and over to the gate, where the vans were parked.

For a fleeting instant, Clementine found herself looking around for an escape route. As soon as she eyed her surroundings, Marlon's words forced their way into her head, immediately eliminating any further thoughts.

"In," Rob commanded, opening the backdoor of a van.

"Have they taken you outside before?" Clementine asked as the van rolled out of the gates.

Aasim shook his head. "It's always just been in the other blocks."

"Yeah," Minnie added. That was the first time Clementine had heard her talk since the previous night.

Clementine leaned back against the rickety seat, feeling uncomfortable with every bump the van came across. "What did Beth say to you?" she asked AJ.

"When?" he asked.

"Whenever she spoke to you here. What did she say?"

"Nothing really. She was telling me about who they were and what they did."

She was slightly alarmed at that. "She's trying to get into your head. Don't let her. No matter what she says."

"She's not," AJ proclaimed. "She was just talking about her community."

"AJ, she killed Brody. She's not someone you want to listen to."

"But, didn't we steal from her? And we took Minnie away from her too."

"AJ, listen to me," Clementine said. "Don't listen to her. Beth is a killer. You don't want to be like her."

"I won't. But she said we were responsible for Brody death."

"That's a lie," Aasim said. "She didn't have to pull that trigger. None of us had to get hurt in that."

Clementine massaged her temples. This was turning into a worse headache than she'd imagined. "You can't trust her, okay?" she told AJ. "Just.. please. Promise me you won't."

Loud rapping against the plastic divider of the van drew their attention away. "Keep it quiet back there!" Cain yelled.

Clementine sighed. She would take up this conversation again when she and AJ would be alone.

They rode in silence for the rest of the way. They had a view of the road through the glass. The clouds had blocked the sun, casting a dark gloom over everything. Even though it was just the morning, it could just as well have been the last few minutes of a sunset.

The van turned off the road, following a narrow dirt road through the trees. Every now and then a walker would spot them and try to follow, only to be left in the dust. They finally halted a good distance away from their turn-off. The front doors slammed and the sound of footsteps moved towards the back before the door opened.

Clementine stepped out, taking a look around. The dirt track led up to an old warehouse. The paint was peeling off the walls and the windows so dusty, it would be impossible for any light to break through.

"There are bullets in here, in a few of those boxes. They've been here for a while and we're going to look for it," Cain instructed them as Rob went to open the large doors. "There's a lot of trash in there. Try to run and I will shoot you and leave you for the walkers. Or I'll go back and shoot one of your friends. Clear?"

Clementine wanted nothing more than shooting Cain with his own rifle. Begrudgingly, she nodded.

"Good. Now get in there."

"What about walkers inside?" Clementine asked.

Cain thought about it for a minute. Reaching inside his pocket, he pulled out two knives, throwing it at her feet. "Don't do anything stupid. A gun works way faster than that."

Clementine stooped down to pick them. She eyed them, before keeping one for herself and handing one over to Aasim.

"What about me?" AJ asked.

"Not now," Clementine replied, entering the warehouse.

Ceiling high shelves were stacked all over the room. Torn boxes lay on the floor, covered with dust and fungus. A musty smell hung in the air, reeking of abandon.

"The boxes are supposed to be at the back," Rob said.

Clementine sighed. She slowly headed along the aisles, looking for walkers. The quicker she took them out, the safer they would be. Surprisingly, none of them came rumbling out of the dark corners. Large piles of boxes were stacked at the back. They set to work at opening them.

Minnie was working by herself in a corner. "Hey," Clementine said, approaching her.

"Uh… hey," Minnie replied, slightly surprised.

"How are you doing?"

"Okay… I guess. Just worried about all of us."

"Yeah, me too," Clementine replied. "Did Beth do anything to you?"

"No. She just put me into the cell with everyone else." She paused. "Do you think we're going to make it out of here?" she asked in a hushed tone.

"Yeah," Clementine answered with fake confidence. "We'll find a way, okay?"

Minnie nodded. "And… thanks for making me come along with you that day. I guess I just needed someone to push me."

"It was the right thing to do."

An awkward silence fell upon the two. Minnie shuffled her feet nervously while Clementine was unsure of what to say next.

"I'll see you in some time," Clementine finally said, glad to be out of there.

The morning turned into afternoon as the four kids went through the boxes. It was a slow and painful task and nothing even remotely useful turned up. The amount of muck that had gathered over the strewn boxes was appalling, but there wasn't much that could be done.

Clementine sat down on an intact box when she noticed the door. If she hadn't paid attention, it was easy to miss. It was just behind a pile of boxes. It was painted the same as the walls.

She pushed aside the boxes and reached for the door, slowly turning the knob. Peeking inside, she saw a corridor that extended a few doors down. She beckoned the rest over before entering.

"This is worse than outside," Aasim commented, sneezing.

"Should we be here?" Minnie asked hesitantly.

"We should check it out. Try this one, Clementine." He walked past them and opened a door.

"AJ, come with me," Clementine said as she tried the one in front of her. It just seemed like an office. Rotting papers covered the table and the chair had turned different shades of green and black. The windows had turned yellow. "Doesn't seem like there's anything here."

"Yeah," AJ replied.

"Come on," she told him, stepping back out again.

Minnie appeared out of another door.

"Nothing?" Clementine asked her.

"No. It's an office, I think. Probably where they ran the warehouse from."

"One of the other rooms could have something then. The door was covered up was for a reason. Nothing-"

A sudden yell caught Clementine off-guard. She looked further down the corridor at the source. AJ had fallen on the floor, the door in front of him open. She stupidly looked to her side and noticed him missing from there.

The walker stumbled out of the room, heading straight for the boy. AJ tried crawling back but before he could do much, the creature had already reached him.

All Clementine could do was watch, frozen in disbelief.


	31. Redemption

Time had slowed down for Clementine. Her mind was drawing blanks as she stared at the advancing walker. All it had to do was take one step and it would be on top of AJ.

The next few seconds, in contrast, became a blur of motions. Aasim tackled the walker head on, taking it to the ground. The bloody mouth of the walker tried to get back at him as he pulled the knife out of his pocket and rammed it down through its skull. He rolled off the walker onto his back, breathing heavily.

Clementine seemed to have been freed from her spell, racing towards AJ. "AJ! Are you okay?"

He nodded slowly in response, stunned.

She hugged him, grateful for the aversion before turning around to face Aasim. She helped him up, noticing the slickness on his hand. That's when she saw it.

"A… Aasim?" She didn't need to say the rest. Her eyes were fixated on his shoulder.

He followed her eyes. His shirt had been mangled at the shoulder, a bloody mess of torn flesh. A trail ran down his front, drenching the cloth.

Nobody said a word; too shocked to react. Heavy footsteps moved inside the warehouse and Cain and Rob burst in through the door.

"What the fuck is happening here?" Cain looked at the walker. "What…" he broke off, spotting Aasim's bloody attire. He noticed the wound. "Fucking hell…"

"What happened here?" Rob demanded.

"Walker caught us by surprise," Aasim replied. Clementine was shocked by his calmness. He could just as well have been reacting to someone asking him for a cup of coffee.

"Fuck…" Cain appeared slightly distressed. He stepped closer, inspecting the wound. He looked back at Rob. "We can't do anything about this," he told her.

Clementine knew he was right. The wound was on the shoulder, and shoulders weren't particularly susceptible to chopping off like bites on arms and legs were. The damage was permanent. Aasim would turn.

"It's time we head back," he said.

"What?" Rob asked. "They haven't even found anything useful!"

"One of them is fucking bit! We can't have prisoners dying to walkers, least of all kids. With the war out there, you think we're sitting on a store of people?"

"You want to take back a bitten kid?"

Cain walked up to her, his hulking figure overshadowing her. "Are you disobeying orders?"

Rob didn't reply.

"Get to the van. We're going back."

* * *

"Does it hurt?" Clementine asked Aasim as they sat in the back of the van.

"No, not much," he replied, clutching the cloth to his wound. It had been soaked red through.

"Maybe we can do something," she said, despite the truth.

Aasim shook his head. "We all know what's going to happen."

"Is there nothing can do?" Minnie asked.

"No. And I'm okay with that. I did what I had to do and I'm fine with whatever's happened."

"I didn't mean to…" AJ started.

"AJ, you can't keep doing things like this!" Clementine said. Anger was beginning to show in her voice.

"It's not your fault," Aasim said. "We all make mistakes."

"Aasim, you're bit! It didn't have to happen like that."

"I know. I didn't ask for this to happen, but even though it has, I don't feel scared. I'm okay."

Clementine didn't answer. She was silent for a moment. "Thanks," she finally spoke up. "I would have lost AJ if it wasn't for you."

Aasim smiled. "You don't have to. I feel like it's redemption."

"Redemption…?"

He nodded. "You remember Asha?"

"Your sister?" She could vaguely recall him mentioning the name to her.

"Yeah. It was… it was one of the usual nights in winter. Asha and I found a house to stay for the night. It seemed like a pretty nice place. We were clearing out the rooms when a couple of walkers caught us off-guard. My knife was in my pocket and they were closest to Asha. It's like my brain stopped thinking and all I could was watch as they got her. I didn't even react."

"She was just a little kid and I couldn't do anything to save her. I let my sister die. At least, in that way, I could save AJ."

"You didn't let her die," Clementine replied. "I guess the same thing happened to me."

"AJ's just a kid. You can't expect him to be like us." He suddenly shuddered.

"It's already taking effect," Minnie said. "The fever must be setting in."

"Fuck," Clementine muttered. "You don't have very long."

"I know. It's alright. At least it was doing something worthwhile." He chuckled.

"You're going to turn."

"I won't. Promise me you won't let that happen."

"I…" Clementine started.

"I promise," Minnie said.

Aasim nodded his gratitude. He dropped his voice to a hushed whisper. "You guys need to work on getting out of here. Working for Beth is not what you want."

"I don't know if breaking out is the right idea…" Clementine said.

"What do you mean?" Aasim asked, surprised.

"It seems like everything I've done only makes things worse. If we break out, I don't want to get anyone else killed." She looked up at him. "You're already bit."

"That's not your fault. You've had to make the decisions all along. Sometimes you just don't see things, but you learn from it. The group looks up to you and Marlon. And without him, it looks like you're the only one who can lead the others."

"But what about the wrong decisions?"

"You can't make the right calls all the time," he replied. "You're going to mess up some time or the other. Everyone here needs you. You're the only one experienced enough to guide them."

Clementine nodded, grateful.

* * *

Upon reaching Delta, they were ushered back into the cell by Cain. Evening had fallen and an orange light lit the cell-corridor. Aasim had begun shivering now, the fever fully taking hold. They were received in the cells by horrified faces.

"What the fuck happened?" Violet asked.

Aasim tried to explain but gave up. It was like he couldn't coordinate his brain and mouth to speak coherently.

Clementine began narrating the events that had transpired through the day as she led Aasim to the bed. She threw a blanket around him, hoping that it would help ward off the cold at the least.

"Shouldn't it take longer for the infection to spread?" Marlon asked.

"I think it takes time if your body can handle it," Clementine replied.

They turned their attention to Aasim again. His face had gone pale, although the shivering seemed to have reduced under the covers of the blanket.

"There's no way to stop the infection, right?" Louis asked Clementine.

She shook her head. "The first few minutes are the most important. Everything after that is a chance." She glanced at Aasim. "And definitely not so late."

"What do we do now?"

Aasim muttered something in response.

"What?" Clementine asked, as they gathered around him.

"I can hear you guys," he whispered.

"Sorry," Louis answered under his breath.

"Don't let me turn. Pretty sure I'll be gone in a few hours. It's burning me up."

Clementine reached out with her hand, touching his forehead. It was hot. "I haven't seen it act this fast before. It usually takes more than half a day."

"We need to ask them for something," Violet said. "We can't just let him die for their fault."

"There's nothing we can do, Vi," Louis responded.

The cell-door opening abruptly made them jump. Cain entered, followed by two men.

"Where's the kid?" he asked, referring to Aasim.

"His name is Aasim," Violet hissed. "And you got him fucking killed."

Cain's face betrayed no emotion. "I need you to come with me," he told Aasim.

"What are you going to do?" Louis asked, suspicious.

Unlike last time, Cain didn't lash out at Louis. "We can't have a walker in here," he replied. "Come on." He gestured at the door.

"You're not taking him," Violet angrily said, stepping in between.

"Guys, it's okay," Aasim finally spoke up. He slowly stood up, all eyes on him. "It's better if I go."

"Aasim, you don't have to," Clementine said.

"No, it's okay. Don't get into trouble because of me." He looked around at everyone. "I never properly thanked you guys for saving me that day. It's the only reason I didn't die a horrible death."

AJ suddenly hugged Aasim. "Thanks Aasim."

Aasim took a second but he smiled, returning the hug. "Take care of yourself, okay?" he told the boy. "Listen to Clem. She knows what's good for you."

AJ nodded; his eyes watery.

One by one, all of them said their, albeit painful, goodbyes. Clementine was the last. She wrapped her arms around him.

"Thanks for everything," she whispered.

"Thanks to you, too," he whispered back. "Everyone looks up to you. Don't forget that." He pulled away. "Stay safe."

Cain had not said a word. Even though the guards behind him exchanged confused glances as to why he had not reacted, he had kept quiet. He didn't say anything as he led Aasim through the door, forever walking him out of the lives of the kids.


	32. Dangerous Alliances

Time had slowed down for Clementine. Her mind was drawing blanks as she stared at the advancing walker. All it had to do was take one step and it would be on top of AJ.

The next few seconds, in contrast, became a blur of motions. Aasim tackled the walker head on, taking it to the ground. The bloody mouth of the walker tried to get back at him as he pulled the knife out of his pocket and rammed it down through its skull. He rolled off the walker onto his back, breathing heavily.

Clementine seemed to have been freed from her spell, racing towards AJ. "AJ! Are you okay?"

He nodded slowly in response, stunned.

She hugged him, grateful for the aversion before turning around to face Aasim. She helped him up, noticing the slickness on his hand. That's when she saw it.

"A… Aasim?" She didn't need to say the rest. Her eyes were fixated on his shoulder.

He followed her eyes. His shirt had been mangled at the shoulder, a bloody mess of torn flesh. A trail ran down his front, drenching the cloth.

Nobody said a word; too shocked to react. Heavy footsteps moved inside the warehouse and Cain and Rob burst in through the door.

"What the fuck is happening here?" Cain looked at the walker. "What…" he broke off, spotting Aasim's bloody attire. He noticed the wound. "Fucking hell…"

"What happened here?" Rob demanded.

"Walker caught us by surprise," Aasim replied. Clementine was shocked by his calmness. He could just as well have been reacting to someone asking him for a cup of coffee.

"Fuck…" Cain appeared slightly distressed. He stepped closer, inspecting the wound. He looked back at Rob. "We can't do anything about this," he told her.

Clementine knew he was right. The wound was on the shoulder, and shoulders weren't particularly susceptible to chopping off like bites on arms and legs were. The damage was permanent. Aasim would turn.

"It's time we head back," he said.

"What?" Rob asked. "They haven't even found anything useful!"

"One of them is fucking bit! We can't have prisoners dying to walkers, least of all kids. With the war out there, you think we're sitting on a store of people?"

"You want to take back a bitten kid?"

Cain walked up to her, his hulking figure overshadowing her. "Are you disobeying orders?"

Rob didn't reply.

"Get to the van. We're going back."

* * *

"Does it hurt?" Clementine asked Aasim as they sat in the back of the van.

"No, not much," he replied, clutching the cloth to his wound. It had been soaked red through.

"Maybe we can do something," she said, despite the truth.

Aasim shook his head. "We all know what's going to happen."

"Is there nothing can do?" Minnie asked.

"No. And I'm okay with that. I did what I had to do and I'm fine with whatever's happened."

"I didn't mean to…" AJ started.

"AJ, you can't keep doing things like this!" Clementine said. Anger was beginning to show in her voice.

"It's not your fault," Aasim said. "We all make mistakes."

"Aasim, you're bit! It didn't have to happen like that."

"I know. I didn't ask for this to happen, but even though it has, I don't feel scared. I'm okay."

Clementine didn't answer. She was silent for a moment. "Thanks," she finally spoke up. "I would have lost AJ if it wasn't for you."

Aasim smiled. "You don't have to. I feel like it's redemption."

"Redemption…?"

He nodded. "You remember Asha?"

"Your sister?" She could vaguely recall him mentioning the name to her.

"Yeah. It was… it was one of the usual nights in winter. Asha and I found a house to stay for the night. It seemed like a pretty nice place. We were clearing out the rooms when a couple of walkers caught us off-guard. My knife was in my pocket and they were closest to Asha. It's like my brain stopped thinking and all I could was watch as they got her. I didn't even react."

"She was just a little kid and I couldn't do anything to save her. I let my sister die. At least, in that way, I could save AJ."

"You didn't let her die," Clementine replied. "I guess the same thing happened to me."

"AJ's just a kid. You can't expect him to be like us." He suddenly shuddered.

"It's already taking effect," Minnie said. "The fever must be setting in."

"Fuck," Clementine muttered. "You don't have very long."

"I know. It's alright. At least it was doing something worthwhile." He chuckled.

"You're going to turn."

"I won't. Promise me you won't let that happen."

"I…" Clementine started.

"I promise," Minnie said.

Aasim nodded his gratitude. He dropped his voice to a hushed whisper. "You guys need to work on getting out of here. Working for Beth is not what you want."

"I don't know if breaking out is the right idea…" Clementine said.

"What do you mean?" Aasim asked, surprised.

"It seems like everything I've done only makes things worse. If we break out, I don't want to get anyone else killed." She looked up at him. "You're already bit."

"That's not your fault. You've had to make the decisions all along. Sometimes you just don't see things, but you learn from it. The group looks up to you and Marlon. And without him, it looks like you're the only one who can lead the others."

"But what about the wrong decisions?"

"You can't make the right calls all the time," he replied. "You're going to mess up some time or the other. Everyone here needs you. You're the only one experienced enough to guide them."

Clementine nodded, grateful.

* * *

Upon reaching Delta, they were ushered back into the cell by Cain. Evening had fallen and an orange light lit the cell-corridor. Aasim had begun shivering now, the fever fully taking hold. They were received in the cells by horrified faces.

"What the fuck happened?" Violet asked.

Aasim tried to explain but gave up. It was like he couldn't coordinate his brain and mouth to speak coherently.

Clementine began narrating the events that had transpired through the day as she led Aasim to the bed. She threw a blanket around him, hoping that it would help ward off the cold at the least.

"Shouldn't it take longer for the infection to spread?" Marlon asked.

"I think it takes time if your body can handle it," Clementine replied.

They turned their attention to Aasim again. His face had gone pale, although the shivering seemed to have reduced under the covers of the blanket.

"There's no way to stop the infection, right?" Louis asked Clementine.

She shook her head. "The first few minutes are the most important. Everything after that is a chance." She glanced at Aasim. "And definitely not so late."

"What do we do now?"

Aasim muttered something in response.

"What?" Clementine asked, as they gathered around him.

"I can hear you guys," he whispered.

"Sorry," Louis answered under his breath.

"Don't let me turn. Pretty sure I'll be gone in a few hours. It's burning me up."

Clementine reached out with her hand, touching his forehead. It was hot. "I haven't seen it act this fast before. It usually takes more than half a day."

"We need to ask them for something," Violet said. "We can't just let him die for their fault."

"There's nothing we can do, Vi," Louis responded.

The cell-door opening abruptly made them jump. Cain entered, followed by two men.

"Where's the kid?" he asked, referring to Aasim.

"His name is Aasim," Violet hissed. "And you got him fucking killed."

Cain's face betrayed no emotion. "I need you to come with me," he told Aasim.

"What are you going to do?" Louis asked, suspicious.

Unlike last time, Cain didn't lash out at Louis. "We can't have a walker in here," he replied. "Come on." He gestured at the door.

"You're not taking him," Violet angrily said, stepping in between.

"Guys, it's okay," Aasim finally spoke up. He slowly stood up, all eyes on him. "It's better if I go."

"Aasim, you don't have to," Clementine said.

"No, it's okay. Don't get into trouble because of me." He looked around at everyone. "I never properly thanked you guys for saving me that day. It's the only reason I didn't die a horrible death."

AJ suddenly hugged Aasim. "Thanks Aasim."

Aasim took a second but he smiled, returning the hug. "Take care of yourself, okay?" he told the boy. "Listen to Clem. She knows what's good for you."

AJ nodded; his eyes watery.

One by one, all of them said their, albeit painful, goodbyes. Clementine was the last. She wrapped her arms around him.

"Thanks for everything," she whispered.

"Thanks to you, too," he whispered back. "Everyone looks up to you. Don't forget that." He pulled away. "Stay safe."

Cain had not said a word. Even though the guards behind him exchanged confused glances as to why he had not reacted, he had kept quiet. He didn't say anything as he led Aasim through the door, forever walking him out of the lives of the kids.


	33. Predator and Prey

"What did Beth want from you?" Violet asked, once they were all back in the cells. The day had proved much longer for Louis, Violet and Marlon. They had been gone the whole day, returning only when the other three were almost done eating. Now that they had retired back to the cells and half of them were asleep, Clementine, Louis and Violet could finally have a conversation.

"Not much," Clementine replied, shrugging.

Violet stared at her. "You're not telling us something," she said, unconvinced.

Clementine sighed. "She was offering me the chance to stay with Delta. I think she wanted me to convince the rest of you."

"You refused her right? Clem?"

"I didn't get a chance to say anything. Cain called her to the gate. Some other group had attacked them and killed their patrol. I think they used to be allies."

Violet chuckled. "Fucking serves the bitch right. Guess now she knows what it's like to be fucked over for no reason."

"Yeah…" Clementine trailed off.

"Clem?" Louis said. "You're not seriously considering her proposal, are you?"

"I don't know."

"Clem, what the fuck?" Violet sounded upset. "You can't join her. She's a crazy bitch. She's not someone you want to work for."

"I know but, what about AJ?"

"You think he's going to grow up into a human being under her? What has she been telling you?"

"Just that I won't be able to look after him all alone outside," Clementine answered guiltily. "He'll have others looking out for him here."

"But you're not alone!" Violet stressed. "You have all of us. We look after each other, like we always have. What's happened to you, Clem? I've never seen you like this."

"I don't feel like myself," she confessed. "Ever since Marlon said those things, I've been thinking that…"

"Wait. You think Marlon's right? He's just grieving over Brody. Right and wrong isn't that easy. You've had to take all the hard decisions, and all of us have been glad to follow them."

"Yeah," Louis added. "I wish I could say I can take decisions like you do. But you're way more experienced and honestly, you have way more guts than we do."

"But what's the use if I get people killed with that?" Clementine asked. "If I get us killed."

"Clem, you didn't get anyone killed," Violet said. "You haven't put a gun to anyone's head. Trusting Jared was a wrong call and all of us are to blame. It's not just you. We didn't see the signs and that's on us. The three of us."

Clementine nodded. "Sometimes I wonder what would things be like if Louis didn't bring you to that train station."

"Shitty, to say the least," Violet replied. "The horde would've gotten us, one way or another. Or the winter. We'd be fucked either way."

"Glad to be of service," Louis said, grinning.

Clementine chuckled. "So, what'd they make you do today?"

Violet sighed. "We cleaned their rifles." She looked at Clementine. "That guy, Ed, thinks it's fucking funny to make fun of Aasim. I swear I would've shot him if I had bullets in that gun."

"He was talking about how we deserved to lose him," Louis added.

"This place gets to me. And seeing Beth every time… God… it just reminds me of how she shot Brody."

"I don't know why I was listening to her," Clementine said.

"She knows how to talk," Violet said. "You think this place would even keep her as the lead otherwise? She probably knows all the right things to say."

"I just keep getting worried about AJ. What happens to him if I don't make it?"

"You can't talk like that," Louis said. "Nothing is going to happen to any of us, okay? We're going to get that Texas vacation, remember?"

"Yeah, we do," Clementine replied, breaking a small smile. What she would do without the two of them, she had no idea.

"I can never become part of something like this," Violet said, looking at the cell-window near the ceiling. A faint light shone in through it. "It's not going to end well if we stay longer."

"It's impossible to just get out. It's too heavily guarded," Clementine reminded her.

"I know. But fuck this. I'm getting out."

"Me, too," Louis said. "Scares the fuck out of me, but Violet's right. I'd rather not stick around here and meet my untimely demise."

"Look, Clem," Violet said, laying her hand on Clementine's. "We have to stick together. We're going to survive only as long as we look out for one another. Besides, with that war Beth has going on, I don't want to be here when it goes to shit."

"Yeah, me neither. None of us are going to be her soldiers to die. But that still leaves us with the question: how do we get out? We're six of us and… we can't just jump out."

"No, we can't," Violet agreed. "I don't know how well we can use guns either."

"Fighting won't get us out," Louis replied. "We're going to have to get out like how we got in."

"How?" Clementine asked. "It's not like they've left an opening."

"Well, we can't rot in here either, can we?" Violet asked. "We have to look for a way."

"I don't think we can pry open any of the bars here," Clementine observed.

"Not unless we have something to do that," Louis replied. "Besides, it'll make a racket, and it's dead silent out there."

"We'll do something. One way or the other," Violet responded.

Louis yawned softly, making Clementine realise how tired she actually was. Her eyelids suddenly felt heavy.

"Let's get some sleep, first," Louis said, getting up from the bed.

"Yeah," Clementine replied.

"We'll figure something out," Violet said.

Clementine headed back to her cell. She laid her eyes on AJ, watching him sleep peacefully. She stood there for a few moments, until she finally decided to retire to her bed. Pulling the blanket close around her, she felt its warmth for the first time.

* * *

Clementine found herself awaken only after the clanging of the bars reverberated through the corridor. She sat up, listening to the familiar voice of Cain yelling at them to make a line. She threw the blanket off of herself and roused AJ from his sleep.

"Come on," Violet said, appearing in Clementine's cell.

She nodded in reply, getting into the line. Cain led them through the dark and dingy corridors. Clementine noticed him lacking his usual composure. He walked more hastily today, and his face did nothing to hide the worry. He opened the door to the cafeteria, heading in.

The kids followed the same routine as the past couple of days: get a bowl, fill it up with the nasty looking liquid and seat themselves at the same table. However, there was something different that day.

"The place seems pretty empty today," Violet pointed it out.

Clementine looked around her, noticing it too. The usual bustle of Delta members was clearly lacking, replaced by a handful of members silently gulping down their food. "Cain said he would send out a small patrol," she whispered to the others.

"This thing has them really riled up," Louis commented.

"What thing?" Minnie asked, looking confused.

Violet quickly brought her up to speed. "Do you know who they're talking about?" she asked, remembering, much to her chagrin, that Minnie was a part of Delta.

Minnie shook her head. "Not really. I mean, Beth never talked to me about it. I just did what I was told to do."

"So, nothing?" Louis asked.

"Well, I'd only heard of this one group. But I never found out the name. It was the group that most of the people here were scared of."

Clementine felt a shiver run down her spine.

"But they never came here," Minnie continued. "Well, at least not all of them. I'd seen Beth talk to a couple of them in her office."

"Maybe they're the ones that killed that patrol," Violet hypothesized. "Don't think I'm upset at hearing that some of these fuckers died."' She turned to Minnie. "What do you think they'll do now?"

Minnie shook her head again. "I don't know. This hasn't happened before. No one ever attacked Delta members openly."

They soon found out though. Ed and another Delta member led them to a small open land next to one of the buildings. Shovels lay piled up, on one side.

"Half of you are gon' be diggin' here. The other half are gon' go with him," Ed said, pointing at the other man.

Clementine looked at AJ.

"And you two, separate," Ed continued, looking at Clementine and AJ.

"I'll look after him," Louis whispered to Clementine before she could respond.

She considered it for a second, before nodding her approval. Louis took AJ towards the other man. Marlon followed without a backward glance at Clementine, leaving her with Minnie and Violet.

"Pick up those shovels and start diggin'," Ed commanded them.

Clementine made her way over to the tool, picking up one and heading over to where Ed was pointing. She thrust it deep into the ground with a grunt and pulled out the earth.

"I don't even understand why Beth would keep this fucker around," Violet whispered, stealing a glance at Ed.

"He knows his stuff. That's the only reason he's in charge here," Minnie replied.

"I wonder what he knows. He just seems stupid to me." Violet scooped the dirt onto one side.

"Hey, keep workin'!"

Clementine sighed. "I don't see too many of them outside either."

"I doubt they'll be. Beth is paranoid about the place being attacked," Minnie told them.

"I thought you said Delta was never attacked…?" Violet questioned.

"Yeah. Beth made sure it wouldn't be. She went to the biggest groups around here and allied with them."

"Looks like that didn't serve her well now." Violet chuckled under her breath.

"It probably kept Delta going for a long time," Clementine said, starting to pant now. Digging was certainly laborious work, and it wasn't easy on the arms.

"It did," Minnie responded. "Most of the guns here are from trades. Trades of captured people." She looked at Violet. "Of Ruby and Omar."

Violet winced. "You really don't know what to happened to them?"

"No… but they buried Mitch outside the walls."

"Fuckers," Violet swore softly.

"Girl, I ain't never seen you talk that much when you were here before," Ed said, walking over to them. "Now you've got your own gatherin' and suddenly you're quite the talker."

None of them replied, looking down at the ground as they continued their work.

"What now?" Ed continued. "Finished your talkin'?" He grabbed Minnie's arm.

"Back the fuck up," Violet hissed, lifting up her shovel threateningly.

Ed's face went red with rage. "You fuckin' cunt." His hands landed on his holstered weapon.

The gunfire startled all of them. Clementine looked down at herself and then at the others. They hadn't been shot. Then she looked at Ed. He looked equally alarmed. She turned towards the wall, realising the sounds were coming from the forest.

"Motherfucker!" Ed yelled, reaching for his walkie talkie. He pulled out his weapon, aiming it at Violet. "Delta 4, come in. Delta 4, what's wrong there?"

"They're here! They-" the delayed scream came in response, before it went silent abruptly.

The air resonated with a few more gunshots. Then it was eerily quiet.

Clementine stood still, listening with her breath held.

A man came running up to Ed. "Cain asked me to find you. They're all at the gates."

"Where's Beth?"

"She went out a while ago," the man replied.

"Fuckin' hell!" He looked at the kids. "Take them back to their cells. If they do something' stupid, blow their brains out, I don't give a fuck." He strode off in the direction of the gates.

"Let's go," the man told the kids as they began heading back to the cell.


	34. Old Nightmares

"What the fuck was that?" Violet whispered once they were back in their cells, echoing the others' thoughts.

"It's that group," Clementine replied. "I mean, it has to be."

"But this close? Clem, we're dead if they get in here."

"I know. But we'll find a way. We always do."

"It's not easy," Minnie said. "This place is meant to keep you in."

"That's not helpful, Minnie," Violet replied with slight annoyance.

The cell-door squeaked open followed by Louis, Marlon and AJ. The man escorting them shoved the kids in, slamming the door behind them and retreating from the room.

Clementine jumped to her feet and instinctively rushed towards AJ to see if he was okay.

"Do you guys know what happened?" Louis asked. "All of them starting being weird all of a sudden and threw us back here."

"Another group got attacked," Clementine replied.

"You mean like yesterday?"

She nodded.

"Well fuck…" He looked worried. "If they attack Delta, that means…."

"… We get caught in the crossfire, yeah," Violet completed his sentence.

"Well, we can't just sit here."

Clementine noticed Marlon walk back into his cell.

"No, we can't. I'm not going to die in this shitty place," Violet responded.

"So, what do we do then?" Louis asked, glancing at everyone.

"What I've been saying for all this time. Find a way out."

"How? We already saw how closely guarded this place is. And we already spoke about this last night- we can't just slip out."

"Well, you have a better idea then?" Violet asked, irritated.

"Well, no but…"

Clementine quietly left them to talk, following Marlon. She didn't know what she was going to say, but she felt like she had to try and resolve things with him. She slowly approached his cell.

"Marlon?" she called out.

He looked up at her from the bed. For an instant, it appeared as though he was about to say something, but simply shook his head.

"Can we talk?"

"What do you want?"

She expected hostility but it still caught her off-guard. "I uh… I wanted to see how you were doing."

"How does it look like? We're in a cell and there's a war outside. And Brody. She's not here either."

"I know. We all miss her. But, we can't just-"

"We can't just what?" Marlon interrupted harshly.

"We can't just fight among ourselves," she replied. "We won't get out of here alive that way. We need to stick together."

"Like the time when you brought this all on us? That time? Or was it when you made Louis and Violet follow you here?"

"I didn't make them follow me. We-" Clementine began protesting.

"You know, every time, something or the other fucks up when you're around. Tomorrow, we just might be like the dead."

"You know it's not like that, Marlon. I know it was a bad call, but it was necessary to-"

"Necessary? Since when did you decide what was necessary?"

"I didn't ask to lead us! And it's not my fucking fault this happened!" she yelled, her temper rising. "I did what needed to be done for us. I went out with Louis and AJ and risked us for us just so we could make it a few days more. You didn't do anything!"

"I didn't do anything?" Marlon raised his voice. "I took care of everyone when you weren't even there. It was all fine until you showed up."

"What would you have done if I wasn't there? Get yourselves into another Ericson's?" It was an instant too late, but Clementine realised what she'd said. "I…"

Marlon's hands twitched. She could see his flushed face in the light.

"Marlon… I didn't mean that. I'm s-"

"Get the fuck out, Clementine." He looked so enraged; she took a step back.

"What's happening here?" Violet demanded as she ran into the cell, hearing the raised voices.

"I really didn't mean it, Marlon," Clementine said anxiously.

"What didn't you mean?" Violet asked.

"Doesn't fucking matter," Marlon replied. "Leave me alone."

"Let's go, Clementine." Violet caught Clementine by her arm and dragged her arm. "What were you doing in there?" she whispered to her.

"I was just trying to get him to talk."

Violet sighed. "Clem, he's not going to let go of it. You don't know him. You'll have to do something extraordinary to get him to drop it. And we don't have the time for that. We have more things to worry about."

"I know but…"

"Look, we need you here. Our lives are at stake. Tell me you want to get out of this shithole."

"I do," Clementine whispered.

"Good. So, let's focus. Come on, let's talk there."

* * *

Clementine sat cross-legged on her bed, staring at the wall. The moon, lucent through the window, cast a silvery gloom over her. Her mind was so overwhelmed with her thoughts, she didn't even notice when AJ climbed up onto her bed and sat down next to her.

"Clem?" he whispered, his voice cutting through the silence of the night.

Slightly startled, she saw it was him. "Hey, kiddo. Didn't realise you were here. What's wrong?"

"I can't sleep."

"Yeah, me neither."

He looked concerned. "Why?"

She shook her head. "It's okay. You don't have to be worried about me."

"But I want to help."

She chuckled softly. "I'm just worried about everything. Marlon, the attacks, Beth, all of it. I don't want anything to happen to any of us."

"Me too. I don't like this place," he confessed, scrunching his face.

"You don't? I thought you always said you wanted to live in a place like this."

"I did. But, not here. And I don't like to see you worried about us."

She smiled, pulling him closer by wrapping an arm around him. "I'm just really glad I got you back. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Me too. I hated those three days when you weren't here. Marlon didn't talk at all. Only Aasim stayed with me. And he…" He went quiet.

Clementine saw the wetness in his eyes. She put both her arms around him protectively.

"I keep seeing him bitten like that," AJ continued. "And I keep thinking I did it."

"You didn't, okay? Mistakes happen. I've made so many over the years. But you just learn to live with them. Doesn't mean you're bad."

"It doesn't?"

"It's like Violet said- you just have to learn not to make the same ones again."

"I won't," he promised.

"Then you'll be fine." She looked at him. She knew him well enough to know there was something else. "Anything else on your mind?"

AJ nodded. "Do you remember my parents?"

"Uh… yeah. Why?" It had been a few years, but Clementine still remembered the two of them. At least, parts of it. So much had happened after that, she sometimes found it difficult to recount her memories.

"Were they good people?"

She nodded without hesitation. "Your mom was one fierce woman. I wouldn't want to get on her wrong side. You sometimes remind me of her, you know?"

"I do?"

"Yes. But then you sometimes behave like your dad too. Calm and caring. I miss the two of them too."

"I wish I remembered them," he whispered.

"I wish I had photos to show you. She asked me to look after you. And I want to keep that promise. For her, and for you." She hugged him tightly. "Once we get out of here, I'm going to build you a treehouse."

"Then the walkers won't be able to get us," he replied. "I like that."

"They won't in any case. I'll make sure of that."

"One day, I'll protect everyone from them," AJ declared.

* * *

The next morning, the atmosphere appeared tense as the kids followed the Delta soldier to the cafeteria. As they entered, the silent murmuring amongst the few Delta soldiers greeted them. All of them seemed to be on their guard.

Clementine settled down at her seat with the bowl of soup, AJ by her side. She quietly swallowed spoon after spoon, averting her eyes from Marlon's. She knew she had to talk to him again, but it was no use right now. He wouldn't bother listening to her.

The kids were tensed as well. Being caught like rats in a trap wasn't particularly appealing. Not with the threat of the new aggressive group hanging over them.

The food seemed to have lost all its taste. Drinking the soup was just another mindless exercise for Clementine's hands while her mind wandered on its own. She couldn't believe it had been such a short while since they were all back at the Forest House, when things were all fine. They had a perfectly safe home and enough food. A haven for them where they wouldn't be disturbed.

But did they?

The more Clementine thought about it, the more she was polarized. Did she always do the right thing or the wrong one? She had years of survival experience on her hands. Yet, she was here, captured and facing a good chance of death. She couldn't let that happen to AJ. Neither to any of them.

Lucas, one of Beth's guards, entered the cafeteria and looked around until he spotted the small group of kids. He strode over, gun in his hands. "Beth wants to talk to you," he informed Clementine.

"What?" Clementine asked, taken aback.

"Now. She has enough things to deal with. No, no, you stay right there," he said, noticing Violet getting up.

Clementine nodded at Violet. She quickly glanced at AJ's worried face before she got up and followed Lucas to Beth's office. None of the Delta soldiers walked around unarmed. It was as if impending doom was grinning down at them, waiting to bare its claws.

She caught a few of them staring openly at her. Wondering what that was about, she hastened behind Lucas, only to remember that she was heading towards Beth. A sinking feeling now in her stomach, she tried to focus on calming herself.

"Go," he said as they arrived at Beth's door.

Clementine pushed it open, finding the Delta leader seated at her table. Beth looked haggard, to say the least.

"Sit," she commanded.

Clementine looked behind her as the door was shut, before she took a seat.

Beth poured herself a drink, not bothering to offer Clementine one. "Miletus is gone."

Clementine did a double-take. Was she hearing it right? "Gone…?"

"I found out today morning. They were attacked. There wasn't much they could do."

"Jonathan? Is he…"

"He's dead. He wouldn't leave the place until everyone had been evacuated." She paused. "I thought I wouldn't care. But turns out, I did." She took a large sip.

Clementine sat silent. She hadn't known Jonathan well enough, but he had helped them. It stung to know he was gone.

"Jared came in the morning. He was one of the few ones to escape."

"So, he's here?"

"Yes."

"Who did it?" She couldn't seem to digest the fact that Miletus had been burnt down. They didn't deserve to be killed like that.

"There's a large group around here called the Infinites. They're responsible for Miletus, and for attacking Delta."

Clementine froze. The cold cascaded down her spine as the realization hit her. She exhaled, trying to tell herself that Beth was lying, that there were no Infinites around, but she knew that was in vain. The group was more than capable of taking down Miletus, and with the brazenness of the attacks on the Delta, she had already had a gut feeling it was them.

She realised Beth was still talking. Composing herself, she looked back up.

"We need more people to defend this place," Beth continued. "And we can protect it. It's like I said, Clementine, you can find your home here. You and AJ and the others if you want."

"No," Clementine replied without hesitation. "None of us are going to be your pawns."

"You're not going to be pawns. You'll be Delta soldiers, protecting your home."

"This is not my home." Thoughts of Brody, Marlon, AJ and the other kids ran through her head. Jonathan, Miletus, Jared. "And it never will be."

Beth leaned back in her chair. She eyed Clementine. Then without warning, she reached to her side, pulling out her radio. "Bring him in," she said into it. She suddenly sneered. "You kids are ungrateful wretches, you know that? You have a chance to have a life here but you're so stubborn. You're going to pay for that."

"I don't need you to tell me what we need to do. You're a murderer and you deserve to be among the walkers. And if they don't get you, I will," Clementine replied coldly.

"Quite a sharp tongue you have. Reminds me of someone I knew. If only you knew what you've caused."

"What do you mean?"

"You think you're a good leader? Your friends are dying around you and you're the one surviving each day. You can't protect any of them. Not even your kid. Sooner than later, you're going to be burying him."

"The only person I'm going to bury is you." Clementine pushed back her chair as she started to get up. Before she could get any further, Beth pulled out her gun and pointed it at her.

"I've used this once before, and I don't mind using it on you," she said to the girl. Her radio buzzed to life. The door opened and Clementine turned around.

Cain and Lucas stood in the door. But it wasn't them that made Clementine nearly panic. It was the boy next to them.

Lucas roughly pushed AJ into the room, sending him to the floor.

"AJ!" Clementine yelled, getting to her feet.

"Sit the fuck down!" Beth waved her gun at Clementine. "This is what happens when you don't listen to me. I gave you a chance but you've made your choice." She stood up in front of a mortified Clementine. "Maybe this will change your mind." She cocked her gun, aiming it at AJ.

Her fingers closed around the trigger.


	35. Friends and Foes

"Beth!"

Beth's head snapped up, eyes towards the door. Cain had taken a step forward, his hand raised.

"What?" she hissed.

"Killing him isn't going to help," he told her calmly. "You're just going to cause them to work harder against you. Let me deal with them. We can't kill anyone even remotely useful. You know what it's like, we're losing people everywhere. And we don't need an internal problem right now."

Beth considered his words. "It can't get any worse. And I'll do what's necessary." She pointed her gun at AJ again.

"Beth!"

She looked up again, impatiently.

"If you want them to join us, force them to." He glanced at AJ. "Keep the boy with you. That way the others will behave themselves. If anything happens, you have them at your mercy."

Clementine's eyes widened in horror. "No! You can't-"

"No one asked you!" Cain retorted.

"That's not a bad idea," Beth said, lowering her gun. "And here I was thinking you've gone soft." She chuckled. She walked over to AJ, crouching in front of him. "So, kid, you want to stay here?"

AJ looked at her in terror, his chest heaving.

"Leave him alone!" Clementine got up, but before she could do anything, Cain wrapped an arm around from the back, rendering her useless.

"Let me go, you fucker! I'll fucking kill you!" She struggled, but he was far too strong.

Beth stood up, looking amused. "You know, I think I'm actually enjoying this." She pointed her gun directly at AJ's head. "Now, I want you and the others to behave properly or this one will pay the price."

Clementine immediately ceased struggling. "No, please don't."

"Well, that was far easier than I'd anticipated. Get her out of here. And come back here once you're done, Cain."

He nodded. He shoved Clementine out of the room, pushing her down the corridor and the stairs.

"Are you okay?" he asked once he was sure nobody was around.

"What do you care?"

"I just saved your kid from dying too early. Beth will kill him if you do anything stupid now. This is the most I could do. Don't disobey her."

"You want me to join Delta and die in your war?"

Cain didn't reply. "Move quickly," he said, a slightly harsh tone in his voice.

"We're going to die in here because of you all," Clementine accused him.

He stayed silent again.

They walked quietly until Clementine spoke again. "Why do you even follow her? She's fucking crazy! She doesn't even care if she's killing kids!"

Cain sighed. "I know what she is," he replied softly, surprising Clementine. "When I lost my daughters, she was the only one who helped me through. I wouldn't be here if she didn't take that gun out of my hand. I can't hurt her."

"Even if she's too far gone?"

"She isn't. She's the hope for all these people here. Look around. You think any of them would stay if they had no faith in her? She's held us all together and made Delta a home for us. None of us would abandon it. Even if it means we die trying to save it."

"I've met the Infinites before," Clementine said. She felt that cold chill down her spine again, merely at the mention of the name.

Cain looked down at her, surprised. "You have?"

She nodded. "I had to rescue AJ from a place they were burning down."

"I don't envy you. They're the worst group I've ever come across. But making an alliance with them was the only reason we were alive for so long. I've watched countless groups go down because they wouldn't take the Infinites seriously."

"Who are they?"

"They're led by someone called Bull. Murderers, rapists, robbers, you got them all. They're not people to mess with. God has no place in their home."

"I've seen what they do, before." She looked at Cain as they neared the cells. "You can let us go. If the Infinites are here, you know Delta isn't going to stand very long."

Cain refrained from saying anything, again.

"Please," she added.

"I can't," he replied. "Delta won't fall. We won't let it."

"You're going to let us die, here."

"I won't." He opened the cell door, ushering her in and returning to Beth.

Violet and Louis came out of their cells upon hearing her.

"What happened?" Violet demanded. "What did she say?"

Clementine shook her head.

"Wait, where's AJ?" Louis asked, looking behind her. His face suddenly fell. "Did she… Did Beth…?"

"No," Clementine replied. "She said she would keep him with her to make sure we didn't do anything stupid." She sat down on the bed, suddenly feeling drained out. She buried her head in her hands.

Louis and Violet sat down on either side.

"Hey, we'll get him back, okay? Nothing is going to happen to him," Violet consoled her.

Clementine raised her head. "She almost killed him."

"Fucking hell." Violet's voice was of disbelief. "What's wrong with her? Why is she intent on killing us all? I hope these attackers finish Delta."

Clementine suddenly remembered what she'd learned. "They're not just attackers. It's the Infinites."

"You're not serious, right?" Louis asked.

"From McCaroll Ranch?" Violet inquired.

Clementine nodded. "That's the one."

"Well, fuck. As if we needed even more problems to deal with." Violet looked at Clementine. "You're the only one here who's survived against them. And you've managed to escape from imprisonment quite a few times. What do we do?"

Clementine sat silent for a moment. "First, I'm going to get AJ back. And then I'm going to kill Beth," she said coldly. "I won't let her take any more of us. She's done enough."

"She has. We'll get AJ out safe. And then all of us will get out from here." She glanced at the window.

"We don't have much time," Clementine said, answering Violet's thoughts. "A day or two, if they're really intent on destroying Delta. There's no way this place will hold."

"We'll have to get out at night. In the day, we're walking targets," Louis said.

"Agreed," Violet said.

"It has to be tonight," Clementine added.

"How though? We have nothing to get out with."

Clementine fished something out of her pocket, dangling it in front Louis and Violet with her fingers. It was a small set of keys.

"You stole keys from them?" Violet asked incredulously.

She nodded. "From Beth. They were lying on the side of the table. I took it when she wasn't looking, before she brought AJ in."

"Holy shit. This is the best thing I've heard in a long time." Violet suddenly threw her arms around Clementine, quickly pulling away. "Err… sorry. Don't know what came over me."

"It's okay," Clementine replied. She looked out of her cell, towards Marlon's.

Violet noticed her gaze. "I'll talk to him and Minnie."

"Thanks," she replied appreciatively as the blonde girl got up and left the cell.

"You doing okay?" Louis asked.

"Don't know. Just worried that Beth will hurt AJ because of us."

"We won't let her. I'm honestly tired. I don't know how you kept up a life like this on the road."

"Gotta do what's necessary, right?" Clementine shrugged. "I've had to do a lot to keep AJ safe," she confessed. "Sometimes, it does get tiring. When I was younger, Lee did it for me. And that's the same I'm going to do for AJ."

"I've never done that, you know? Since forever, it's just been us at Ericson's. A year into school, and my parents stopped even communicating with me. They'd just send some money there. I have no idea whether they survived or not."

"I saw my parents dead. They came back as walkers."

"That's gotta suck."

"It did. But at least I knew they were gone. It felt… better to know."

"I know," Louis said. "I felt really guilty about leaving the others back at Ericson's. Like I was leaving them to die."

"But it wasn't like that. You would've ended up like them if you stayed," Clementine replied.

"Yeah. But I still feel torn up about it. I don't even know how I can manage to live like this. Nobody ever found us at Ericson's until Delta."

"I wish it worked like that. I've watched so many people die, I became numb for the longest time. Like it wasn't worth surviving anymore."

"But you fought," he said.

"I did. And I'm glad I did. There's always something to live for."

Louis nodded. "I'm glad to see you're taking my philosophies seriously."

Clementine chuckled. "Where else would I get my life principles from?" she asked, making him laugh.

"Thanks," he said smiling. "I guess I needed that."

"I did too," she replied. She looked over at Marlon's cell again. "I wonder what I'm going to say to him."

"He'll be okay. He'd grown really close to Brody. Ever since the outbreak, he's been leading us. It used to get to him every now and then, and I think she helped him a lot through it. He's a good friend."

"He is," she agreed. "But I don't know how to make things right with him."

"Give him time. He'll come around, sooner than later. Once we're out of here and living in some house, there's only so long he can stay mad at you."

"I hope he doesn't. We'll need to stick together through this."

"We will be," he reassured her. "Maybe we can go back to Miletus after this."

Clementine froze, realising she'd completely forgotten about what Beth had told her. "When I was with Beth, she told me Miletus is… it's gone."

He looked at her, uncomprehending. "Gone…? What do you mean… gone?"

"The Infinites attacked. That's why Jared is here."

Louis exhaled sharply. "Are they all dead? What about Jonathan?"

"He didn't make it," she told him, shaking her head.

He leaned back against the wall, shaken. "Wow… I… I don't know what to say. I think I'm going to go to my cell for a while." He got up and started walking slowly.

Clementine sat quiet. She expected the thoughts to overwhelm her the moment she was alone, but none came. She sighed, staring at the blank wall in front of her until she was roused by Louis a few hours later. The day progressed slower than she would have liked. She looked at AJ's bunk from time to time, as if expecting him to magically appear in it and pretend as if nothing had happened.

The waiting was, as always, the worst part. Given a choice, she would have thrown open the door that instant and taken on Beth there and then. But she couldn't do that when the crazed woman was holding AJ hostage. None of the Delta members appeared through the day, leaving the kids to sit in the cells.

After pacing around her cell and doing everything to distract herself, she sat down, leaning against the wall once the sun had gone down.

"Hey," Violet said, standing at Clementine's door.

"Hey," she greeted back. "We didn't talk again. What did Marlon say?" Clementine had avoided as much as she could. She didn't have the strength to get into another argument with him. Nor the courage.

"I don't think he's too approving of the plan, but I could see that he was impressed with your key stunt. He couldn't deny that if the Infinites attacked, we'd be dead. So, he's on board."

"And Minnie?"

"She's up for it."

"So, all of us are on the same page then," Clementine said.

"We are. I just hope that all of us get out okay. I don't think any of us can take it if another one us… doesn't make it."

"We'll all make it."

Violet nodded. "How are we going to do this?"

In a few minutes, the kids gathered around Clementine's bed, listening to her with rapt attention.

"We'll wait until it's nighttime. The more of them sleeping, the better for us. We'll need to slip past the guard at the main door of this prison."

"There's a window that we can use from the storage room at the back," Minnie said. "We can climb up on the shelves and get out from there."

"That's doable," Clementine replied. "We'll split up from there. Marlon and Minnie will need to find a way to get over the wall. We can't go anywhere near the gate."

"I know the weakest part of the wall. It's a long shot, but we can probably make it."

"Louis and I will come with you to find AJ," Violet said.

"Okay," Clementine said. She was glad for the support.

"AJ should be in a room next to Beth's. It's a couple of doors down from her office," Minnie told her.

"That's where we'll head then. The three of us will get AJ and meet you two…," she looked at Marlon and Minnie, "…outside the walls. Go over the wall and go straight in the forest. We'll find you. I know it's a crude plan, but we're going to have to make up most of it on the spot."

"Yeah," Marlon replied.

Clementine noticed Louis keeping quiet. "Louis?"

He looked up at her. His face appeared as if he was trying hard to concentrate on something. "Do you hear that?"

"What?" The kids strained their ears. It was just audible. The yells carried through the air.

Clementine got up, walking nervously to the window. It was pretty dark outside. Some of the lights seemed to have been switched off. She strained her eyes, unable to spot anything.

"Do you see anything?" Violet asked, appearing next to her.

"No…" Clementine replied. "Could be-" She immediately stopped talking as the sound of gunshots shattered the dark silence. She could see little bursts of orange in the direction of the gate. "What the f…" she murmured.

"What the hell is happening?" Marlon asked.

The scene suddenly turned orange, the inferno engulfing the gate and those closest to it. The screams of the burning were terrifying.

With a shiver, Clementine knew chaos had come for them.


	36. Etched Horrors

"They're here," Clementine whispered.

"Shit! They'll be inside in no time if they continue like that," Violet said, staring at the flames.

"We should go. Now." She began heading to the cell-door.

"We should wait," Marlon said, looking at her.

Clementine paused. "What do you mean?"

"We give it a little time so all the people from Delta are focused on fighting the Infinites. That's when we make our escape. If we go out right now, we're likely to get shot down by them."

"He's right," Minnie said. "We should do this carefully."

"I'm not letting AJ die tonight," Clementine replied fiercely.

"She's right, Clementine," Violet intervened. "We'll never get to AJ, forget the wall, if we run out right now. Once their attention is focused elsewhere, we'll make a run for it."

Clementine glanced around at everyone. She conceded. "Okay." She returned to the window, looking out at the beginning of the carnage. The gunfire was ceaseless. The little orange bursts looked like firecrackers sprinkled through the darkness. If it wasn't the onset of death, it would look beautiful.

The flames at the gate had died down now, but were replaced by raging fires around the nearest buildings and cars. She could barely make out the silhouettes of the men and women rushing near the gate. Suddenly, yells followed and they scattered away from it. An instant later, the gate came crashing down and the headlights of a truck became visible. It pushed over the gate, before it seemed to lose control and veer off into the nearest building.

The glass shattered as the guns were trained on the occupants of the car. Clementine squinted, just enough to see the Infinites firing into Delta from outside the gate. It was happening all over again.

"We can't stay any longer," Clementine declared, rushing back to the gate. Pulling out the keys, she fumbled with the lock, only then realising that her hands were shaking and she was perspiring. Wiping the sweat with her sleeves, she pulled open the door and stepped out.

"Clementine, wait!" Violet called after her.

She looked at the scared faces of the other kids. She swallowed. "Minnie, you know where you can get out from?"

"I think so," she replied falteringly.

"I want all of you to go with her. Get out safely and meet me in the forest like we spoke about. I'll get AJ."

"Clem, you can't go alone!" Violet protested. "I'm coming with you."

"No. I don't know how bad it's going to get. I'm not going to ask you to come."

"I'm coming too," Louis said. "We stick together, no matter what."

"No!' Clementine repeated. "You two should get out while you can."

"We will," Violet replied. "AJ is as much a part of us as he is of you. And I'm not going to run away while you run blindly into this."

Clementine knew it was futile to argue any further. As determined as she was, she was also scared out of her wits at that moment. Having Violet and Louis with her would help. "Okay, then the three of us will head over to Beth's building and you two can find a way out." She quietly led them towards the entrance of the cellblocks. Opening the door, she peeked out. The corridor appeared clear.

"Let's go," she signaled to the others. She made her way down the corridor, before turning around the bend and walking right into someone. She immediately stepped back, realising she was unarmed. The man held a gun in his hand.

"You seem to be a few steps ahead of me," the familiar voice of Cain spoke.

The kids stood quietly, hoping that they would avoid any confrontation.

Cain looked at them. He worried a tired expression on his face. He raised his gun, before turning it over to Clementine. "That's the most I can spare right now. They've already entered and I can't get to the armory anymore."

Clementine hesitantly took the gun from him.

"Your kid is in Beth's office. She's there as well. You better go quickly before one of the Infinites gets there." He paused. "You're a good kid. I hope you get out of here."

She nodded, unsure of how to respond. "Thanks. I hope you get out too."

Cain chuckled. "I hope so too, kid. Go now. And don't head for the gates."

"What was that all about?" Violet asked as they headed towards the entrance of the block.

"I'll tell you later. We need to get across safely." She checked whether the gun was loaded.

"Are you going to be using that?" Louis asked.

"If I need to." The first thing she noticed when they exited the block was the smoke. It wafted from the gates and the nearby buildings that had caught fire. The sound of guns still tore through the sky, the sharp noise penetrating their ears and making them wince.

"Marlon and I'll head back there," Minnie said, gesturing towards the rear portion of the prison walls.

Clementine nodded her understanding. "Let's go," she told Louis and Violet. Beth's building wasn't too far, but the road towards it was exposed from every side. Thankfully, due to the chaos and the darkness, they weren't particularly visible targets.

She began to jog, gun ready in her hand as she kept her eye on things around her. The yells and screams seemed unending. For an instant, she felt she was back at McCaroll Ranch. Her breath grew short and heavy as she took in the death camp around her. She saw the dead boy, she saw the man take her to the ground, she saw the man choking her to death…

"Clementine! Are you okay?"

She felt herself pulled out of her past nightmares and into the present. "Yeah," she replied. They were halfway to the building, standing in the middle of the road.

"You just stopped walking," Louis told her, worriedly. "We should get away from the road."

A sudden light caught their eye. One of the cars exploded in a plume of flames.

"Fuck…" Clementine muttered, hurrying over to the building, praying that no one saw them. Its door was only a few feet away when a voice beckoned them to stop.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going!"

Clementine turned around. It was Lucas. His face changed as he realised who the three were. He raised his gun but Clementine was faster. There was a flash of light when she fired at him, hitting him square in the chest. He dropped to the ground in a heap.

However, next to her, Violet was groaning in pain. Clementine stared at the blood seeping out of the bullet-hole in her arm.

"Fuck!" Violet clutched her arm, the blood turning her fingers red.

Clementine froze for a moment, the panic setting in, but before it could escalate, she quickly sprang into action, focusing on the wound. She took off her jacket, wrapping its arms around Violet's wound and tying it. It would have to do for now.

Violet didn't stop her, only exhaling sharply when the arms of the jacket tightened on the wound, sending the pain racing through her arm.

"Let's get inside," Clementine said, leading Violet into the building.

"Are you okay?" Louis asked, his face white.

Violet shook her head. "It hurts. Let's just get AJ and get out of here." She winced as she felt more pain.

"Are you sure?" Clementine asked. "You can stay here and Louis and I can get him."

"No," she replied. "We stick together. There's no way you're leaving me behind."

They made their way up the stairs. Clementine noticed Louis glancing nervously at Violet's arm every couple of seconds. The jacket was temporary. She would have to remove the bullet as soon as they were out of Delta or there would be far more complications than they needed. She hoped Violet would be able to make it through.

Reaching the floor of Beth's office, Clementine slowly walked over to the door, trying to be as quiet as possible. She reached for the door handle, before taking one quick look at Violet and Louis and twisting it. The door swung open.

"Cain, have they-" Beth stopped mid-sentence. She was leaning against the table. By her words, she was expecting Cain but was shocked to find Clementine at the door. AJ sat in a chair in the corner, jumping to his feet when he saw his guardian at the door.

Clementine saw Beth snap out of her shock, reaching for her gun. Clementine shot at her, the first bullet hitting the woman's shoulder, causing her to roar in agony. The familiar click of the empty gun accompanied the silence when Clementine shot again.

Beth looked up at the girl, rage in her eyes as her hand flew to her bleeding shoulder.

Clementine's eyes passed over AJ. The scared look on his face gave her enough motivation. Dropping her gun, she threw herself on the Delta leader. The two of them spiraled over the table onto the other side, landing on the hard floor with a thud.

Clementine hit her head on the wall as she fell. Dazed and disoriented, she struggled to focus her eyes when she found Beth's hands on her neck, choking her. She threw her hands up blindly, grasping at anything she could. Unintelligible yelling voices sounded around the room. She struggled for breath as her head felt lighter. Then Beth was gone.

Clementine breathed rapidly. Her vision swam as she lay on the floor, uncomprehending. She tried shaking her head, but it didn't help much. She could see dark objects move through the corner of her eye, appearing simply as black masses. None of it seemed to make sense. Then she heard the loudest scream of anguish.

Jolted back into reality, she sat up. Her eyes slowly regained focus. Then she saw what had happened.

Beth stood in front of Louis. But it wasn't that that had shocked Clementine. It was the handle sticking out of Louis' stomach that Beth was gripping. She saw the woman twist it, causing Louis to wince as his eyes stared emptily.

"No!" Violet screamed again as she picked herself up off the floor and tackled Beth, taking her to the ground.

Clementine watched, horrified, as Louis looked down at his bleeding stomach before he fell onto the floor. She stood up, her body shaking from the shock. The sounds of the room faded into the background as she watched the scarlet river form underneath her friend, running past the knife laying by his side. His eyes met hers.

Then she was suddenly on the floor again. Beth was on top of her, squeezing her neck.

"You think you could fucking kill me? I'm going to kill you and then I'm going to kill your other friend and then your kid." The blood freely flowed down from her shoulder, tainting everything within reach red.

A loud gunshot caused Clementine to wince. Beth rolled off of her, moaning in pain. Hands shaking, she pulled herself up, noticing the fresh flow of blood from Beth's chest. She looked up at the shooter.

AJ stood a few feet away, gun clutched tightly in his trembling hands, his eyes shut.

Clementine swallowed, breathing heavily. Her mind went completely blank. She slowly got to her feet and crouched in front of AJ. She could see the tears that had made its way out through his closed eyelids.

She softly took the gun out of his hands and turned back to Beth.

The woman had pulled herself backwards so that she was now slumped awkwardly against the wall. Her t-shirt was soaked red and her breaths were in short bursts, her chest heaving. Her eyes travelled to Clementine.

"Do it," she whispered.

She jerked as the bullet caught her in the head, instantly killing her. Clementine stared at her body.

"Louis?"

Clementine's attention was snapped back to him. She turned around to face the others.

Violet held his hand in hers, the tears cascading down her face.

Louis was struggling for breath. His face had gone pale as he tried looking up at the two of them. "We…get…?" he wheezed.

Clementine immediately pressed down on his wound. "Don't talk! You need the energy." If she could control the blood, she would be able to save him.

Violet saw what Clementine was doing and pulled off the jacket tied around her arm. She pressed it into Clementine's hands, watching it as it further turned red from the bottom.

"C…lem?" The blood spilt out of his mouth as he tried to speak, forming veiny lines across his face.

"Don't!" She saw the water fall onto his jacket, realising she was sobbing.

"I…" He coughed. With his last strength, he reached for her hand that was pressing on his wound.

"Lou, you'll be okay. Let's just tie-" Violet stopped talking as she realised the hand she was holding had gone limp. She looked up at Clementine helplessly. "Do something, Clem," she begged.

Clementine stared blankly at Louis before wiping her eyes and walking around to Violet's side. She pulled the girl close. "We need to go."

"No, we're not going. He's okay. He's just passed out from the pain. Look, even I got shot. But I'm okay."

"Vi? He's gone." Clementine held back her tears as she spoke. "We can't stay here."

"No but-" She paused as AJ hugged her, crying himself. She hugged him back, sniffling.

"Let's go," Clementine said weakly, looking at Louis. She couldn't bring herself to keep him from turning. "Let's go," she repeated. Her eyes fell on Beth's gun that had fallen next to the table. She picked it up and turned to look at her friend one last time.

The three of them stumbled out of the room in a haze, numbly making their way down the stairs towards the exit of the building. Clementine pushed open the door, gun clutched in one hand and holding AJ's hand in the other.

The heavy smoke hung over the entire prison. She could spot the walkers moving through them. The fires still raged all over, like a macabre painting.

"There's walkers here," Clementine told them. "We'll need to move quickly. This way." She began walking towards the rear where Marlon and Minnie had gone. Hopefully, they had made it over the gate.

She heard AJ and Violet cough next to her. The smoke would get them, if the walkers didn't. "AJ, pull your jacket over your nose," she instructed him. She looked at Violet. The girl was still sniffling, one hand placed over her gun wound. Clementine wanted to sit down and cry for her friend, but she couldn't do that.

She maneuvered around the walkers. One small misstep and she would walk into one. She held AJ close. The fear was palpable as they made their way through. She halted down the road. Everything hurt, but she couldn't focus on that right now. She looked at her surroundings. They couldn't go any further. Nothing was visible. The alley seemed like the only place they could go. "Here," she told them, pointing at it.

She made her way to the wall at the end of the alley. That was probably where Marlon and Minnie had escaped from, Clementine thought as she noticed the broken fencing on top of the wall.

"We can get out from here," she said.

But Violet wasn't looking at her. She was looking at the entrance of the alley. Clementine followed her eyes. Walkers were beginning to enter into the little space.

"Fuck!" Clementine swore. "They saw us. I'll help you up first," she instructed Violet. "Then I'll help you get AJ up and then you can help me up."

"You go up first! I'll come last."

"We don't have time for this right now. I can use a gun and hold them off just enough. You won't be able to fight them! Go!" Clementine stood against the wall. "Let's go!"

She helped Violet up. The girl pulled herself up with difficulty, groaning as she used her wounded arm.

Some of the walkers had gotten close. Clementine pulled out the gun and shot them hastily before turning her attention to AJ. "You okay?" she asked.

He nodded, his eyes red. "Violet will pull you up, okay?" She lifted him up. He reached up for Violet's arm, grasping at it. She caught his hand and pulled him up with all her might, almost screaming with the pain.

Clementine turned her attention back to the walkers, firing a couple of shots.

"Clementine! Let's go!"

Turning to the wall, she jumped up trying to catch Violet's hand.

It was too high.

She jumped again.

It was still out of reach.

"Clementine jump higher!" Violet was beginning to panic now, looking at the approaching walkers.

Clementine tried it again, this time catching Violet's hand. She tried to pull herself up. Violet yelled in pain as she put all her strength into pulling her over the wall.

They fell on the other side onto the grass, landing haphazardly.


	37. Hope

Clementine lay on the ground, staring up at the sky. Her entire body ached from the impact of the landing. It felt like there was a constant hammering on her skull where it had banged into the wall of Beth's office and she was sure she'd broken her arm, judging from the way it hurt. She breathed slowly, her eyes taking in the stars sprinkled throughout the sky.

The sounds had become a part of the surroundings, something that had just faded into the grim background. The soft shuffling of walkers inside the wall and the occasional gunfire greeted her ears. The smoke lifted into the sky from inside the compound, spiraling upwards like a giant beast of the skies.

"Clem?"

She turned her head. AJ sat on his knees next to her.

"Yeah, I'm up," she replied, grimacing as she sat up through the pain. She turned to her other side, noticing Violet. "You okay?" she asked her.

Violet shook her head, eyes directed at the sky. The tears rolled down the side of her face. Her arm was bleeding again, the dark red tainting the grass underneath.

"We're not safe yet. We'll have to head inwards," Clementine told them, looking at the trees. She got up shakily, taking a moment to balance herself. "Are you hurt?" she asked AJ.

"No," he replied softly. Other than a few scratches down his arms, he hadn't hurt himself gravely.

Clementine lent a hand to Violet. "Come on. Take it. We need to go. Marlon and Minnie are in there."

Violet cast her eyes towards Clementine before taking the girl's hand. She groaned in pain.

"Your arm is bleeding again," Clementine pointed out.

"Fuck…" Violet muttered.

"We'll have to use your jacket to tie it up. Here, give me." They carefully removed her jacket, before tying the arms tightly around the wound. "There. That's the best we can do right now. The bullet's gone through, so at least we don't have to pull it out."

Neither Violet nor AJ said anything as Clementine led them into the cover of trees. They were blind in here, relying on whatever light the moon gave them. They walked slowly to avoid tripping over the overgrown roots of the trees, walking in a single file.

Clementine tried her best to guide them, but as the adrenalin began to fade, she felt the pain, the worry, the agony and the fear take hold. It was a raw emotion that set a fire of doubt in her mind.

She had lost more than her fair share of people after the outbreak. One group to another, one attachment to another, one home to another, she had always been changing and growing. It hadn't been what she'd wanted, but it was just something that she had learned to deal with. Losing had just become the way of life and she knew there was no other way.

Yet, it felt unfair.

Being out in the midst of the trees felt no different than being in the prison at that moment. At least when they were inside, Louis wasn't dead. He didn't have a knife sticking out his stomach, his eyes unbelieving of the fact that he was going to die. He wouldn't have had his last moments desperately trying to get words out of his mouth. Any words.

The cold breeze made her shiver. Her jacket was still in Beth's office. She put her arms around herself, trying to warm up. Not that it helped much, but it was the most she could do.

She looked at AJ, who was walking with his eyes cast downwards. He had just been forced to shoot a person to save her, and that was bound to bother him. The first person she killed was the Stranger, when Lee had gotten bit. It had forced her to grow up. But it wasn't the growing up that had affected her, it was who she'd become.

For years she'd harboured hatred in her heart, cursing anyone that got too close. She'd done things that she wasn't proud of, but at that instant, it felt like the receivers deserved it. They were the brunt of the circumstances she was thrust into.

The orange glow still lit up the sky behind them, moulding into the black background. As they walked away from it, it became smaller and smaller, until it was just a speck on their tail and then it was gone.

They'd been walking for hours without having said a word to each other. Clementine couldn't bring herself to say anything to AJ and Violet. Her own mind was twisting and turning. All the memories of the outbreak seemed to be coming to the fore. She wondered how Kenny and Lee had even managed to take care of her. Everything seemed to be going wrong all the time; how was she to know what was the right choice?

Everything she did seemed to be one step short of a disaster. It wasn't like she deliberately made bad calls. But… it just happened. So many people were gone, and she couldn't bring herself to imagine that she may have caused some of them to die.

There was no sign of Minnie and Marlon either, and there was nothing to suggest that they'd even made it out, let alone make it to the forest. All they were doing was relying on the hope that they could find them.

"Clem?" Violet whispered suddenly.

Clementine turned around to face her, noticing her pale face. She was swaying slightly, her teeth chattering from the cold.

"I can't keep going," she continued, sitting down heavily.

"Is it hurting?" Panic flashed across Clementine's face.

"It's become numb. I don't feel anything."

Clementine looked around. It was lonely around them, to say the least. The forest was silent, colored a palette of silver, blue and black. Nothing moved. She couldn't hear the sound of anything anymore, not humans, not walkers, not the wind.

She realised they would have to spend the night there. The exhaustion was beginning to take its toll and they wouldn't make it very far even if they kept going. "Let's sit there." She helped Violet up, half supporting half dragging her to a nearby spot. It would have to do for the night.

Clementine set Violet down, taking another look around. She guided AJ as well. His eyes were half-closed, completely drained of energy.

"Clementine? Can you sit next to me? It's… cold."

Clementine nodded, sitting down on the cold ground between AJ and Violet, shivering as the coldness shot up her spine. Her legs immediately began aching as she straightened them, feeling the initial pain of relief carry through them. She rubbed them, trying to get back some life into them.

She felt AJ lay his head against her arm before he closed his eyes. She winced again, feeling the pain in her arm. Violet leaned back against the tree next to her.

"He's gone, Clem," Violet whispered.

"Yeah…"

"I didn't even get to tell him what he meant to me."

"I didn't stop him from turning," Clementine said, remembering her hesitation. "I couldn't do it."

"Even I wouldn't be able to. I just want things to go back to how they were, back at the Forest House."

"Me too." She looked at Violet. "How's your arm?"

"Fucked, most probably. But I'm still alive."

"I hope we find Minnie and Marlon," Clementine said.

"Yeah, I hope so. I don't think I want more people dying on me."

Clementine suddenly realised that Violet had probably not even fully comprehended the events of the day. "No one else is going to die."

"Yeah… that's what they all say." Violet closed her eyes.

"Violet?"

She didn't respond. Clementine watched the rise and fall of her chest before turning to look at AJ.

* * *

"Hey sweetpea."

Clementine jolted awake, confused. The bright sunlight caught her eyes. She grimaced, shielding them from the sudden intrusion. Once she had adjusted, she looked around. She was in her treehouse, back home. The trees swayed with the breeze, lightly dancing to its tune. Legs dangling off the edge, Lee sat next to her. "What..?"

"You dozed off," he told her, smiling.

"Oh." Her eyes passed over her house. It didn't look like she remembered it, or maybe it had been too long. The porch still looked clean, and the glass doors weren't broken. There were no walker bodies either.

"It's been a while since you've seen home, hasn't it?" Lee asked.

"Yeah, it has. Ever since I left with you."

"I'm glad you did. I couldn't have left you there all alone."

"Yeah… I wish you didn't have to leave at all," she said. "I wish I didn't run off."

"All these years, and you still blame yourself? Hell, even I would have run off if I knew I had a chance to meet my parents."

"But you didn't. And I did. And look what it did. Everything I do seems to make things worse for everyone. Brody is dead, Aasim is dead and now… now Louis."

Lee took a deep breath. "You know, you remember the St. John's Dairy?"

Clementine nodded.

"When we found them, I felt it was too good to be true. But I didn't trust my instincts. I was just desperate for something good. I ignored everything and brought all of us there. I wish I didn't, but I did. I didn't know they would be cannibals."

"I remember they killed Mark."

"Killing would have been better. But that's not what I want to say. When we were in the storage room, all I could think about was getting out of there. Not for me, but for you."

Clementine looked up at him.

"It didn't matter what I did. I had to get you out. You don't always have things planned. And it's not a normal world anymore. Things just always get out of hand. But you can't give up."

"But what if I'm the reason people are getting killed?"

"It's not always like that, Clementine. You can't take the blame every time." He paused. "When I found you, I had no idea what I was going to do to keep you safe. Or if I would even be able to. Everything I did was because I thought it would be better for us. You remember the night when we took those supplies from that car?"

"Yeah… I thought it would be better if we didn't take it."

"But Kenny and I did. And it did help us. But then it came at a price." He looked at the bite mark on his hand.

"Lee…" Clementine began.

"It's okay. I made a choice and took the consequences. The others look to you to guide them. And you're capable of that."

"I am?"

Lee nodded. "You make me proud, sweetpea." He wrapped his arm around Clementine. "It's not always going to be easy. But you have to keep going. It'll get better before you know it."

"Okay…" She took a deep breath. "Lee?"

He looked at her.

"I miss you."

"I miss you too, Clementine. Take care of yourself okay?"

"I will."

* * *

Clementine opened her eyes, back in the forest. She touched her cheek, finding the wetness run down. She sniffled.

Dawn appeared to be breaking through. She could see the faint rays of orange light up the trees, bathing them in a warm color. On either side, Violet and AJ had laid their heads against her, sleeping peacefully.

She smiled, tasting salt. She put her arms around them, holding them protectively. She would fight for them and make sure they would never come to harm. Like Lee and Kenny had done for her, she would do for them. All it would take, was some hope.

She closed her eyes.


	38. 5 Years Later

Clementine's eyes flickered open. Lazily stretching herself, she gazed at the ceiling. Her hand habitually stretched across to the other side of the bed, landing on the empty blanket. It was strewn across haphazardly, just like it was every morning.

She smiled.

Pushing herself up, she got off the bed, stretching again. The sunlight streaming in through the window told her it was going to be a warm day. She could hear the sound of the birds on the trees outside. She glanced at her bedside table, looking at the drawing AJ made of the two of them and Louis and Violet. It had been years but she still missed him.

Pulling some clothes on, she hunted for her cap. She was sure she'd kept it somewhere on the table, but it was one of those things that she never found when she wanted it.

Sighing, she gave up. It wasn't worth the headache. She headed out of the room, stopping in the hallway before descending the stairs. The living room was empty, just like she'd expected it to be. Lately, nobody sat in the house in the daytime. It was the kind of weather that made them feel like being out in the sun.

She quickly scoped out the kitchen, noticing the pot. It still appeared to be warm, though she didn't feel particularly hungry. She decided she would eat it later. By the looks of it, it was still early morning.

The main door was open, allowing the warmth in. The cold weather was something all of them despised, and since it was summer, they were doing everything they could to enjoy the heat. Winters had been brutal the past few times.

She stepped out into the little garden, lined with their vegetables. They grew enough to keep them well-fed. There was no more food to be found on supply runs any longer, making them rely on growing their own. It wasn't the most difficult thing in the world to do though. After all, they had help.

Her eyes fell upon the man standing in the middle of the garden. His beard had grown considerably in the last few years. He had grown it because he thought shaving it was a hassle, but instead had come to like it. He leant on a spade, balancing it precariously with his hands under his chin, intently staring at the ground. He looked up as he heard her approach him.

"Morning," Cain said.

"Morning," she greeted him back.

"Breakfast is in the kitchen. You should have it before it gets cold."

"Yeah. Minnie and Marlon aren't here?"

"They left for South Home a while ago. We had some stuff they needed. Should be back by tomorrow."

"And Nora?"

"She went with them. Said she could do with some walking."

"Did you annoy her?" she asked playfully.

"You know me," he replied, laughing. "I never have to do anything to annoy her. God knows why she married me in the first place."

"It was too late by the time she found out," she joked. "Where are Violet and AJ?" she asked.

"Right up there," he replied, lazily pointing a finger at the wooden tower by the door.

She nodded. "How are the potatoes doing?"

He glanced down at the plants. "Well, not too bad. I thought they were dead, but well, it's going okay. Anyway, I'll get back to work."

Clementine made her way to the guard tower. Violet and AJ were looking beyond the wall, their backs turned to her. She noticed Violet wearing her cap and chuckled. She softly climbed up the stairs to make sure they didn't hear her and very carefully placed her hands on AJ's shoulders.

"Ah!" AJ jumped, turning around in a panic.

"Got you!"

"One of these days AJ is going to get you, Clem," Violet said.

"Goofball? I don't think so."

"Come on, Clem. I don't like being called that," AJ said, annoyed.

Clementine smiled. AJ was nearing her height and his hair had grown out a little.

"I've looked after you since you were a baby. You're always going to be goofball."

"I told you, we're in the rebellious age," Violet said, laughing.

"I'm not!" AJ argued.

"Okay, okay," Clementine conceded, chuckling. She looked at the trees. "No sign of them?"

Clementine had asked that question every day for the past couple of years and every day, she had gotten the same response. It had become a habit for her to do this every morning, and pray that the answer would never change.

"No, no sign of them at all," Violet answered. "They're gone, Clem. We're not going to see them again."

"I know. It's just… I feel better hearing someone else say it."

"Well, okay." Violet stepped next to Clementine, cupping her mouth. "The outbreak is over. There are no more walkers." She removed her hands.

"Yes," Clementine replied, laughing. "Thank you for the announcement."

"You're welcome."

"You two are weird some times," AJ said, giving them a funny look. "I'm going to eat. I want to go to the lake after that."

"I wouldn't mind that," Violet said. "Sundays by the pool is everything we need."

"How do you know it's a Sunday?" Clementine asked.

"Every day is a Sunday here, Clem."

"Of course." She watched AJ run down the stairs and talk to Cain before heading towards the house. She felt an immense pride well up inside her as she looked at him.

"So… slept well?" Violet asked.

"You bet," Clementine replied. "I was looking for my cap. Good to know you took it without asking me."

"Oh, I have to ask now?"

Clementine could hear the sounds of Cain digging as she looked at the green trees. The warmth of the sun made her close her eyes, enjoying the surreal feeling. She had grown used to mornings like this, without having anything plaguing her mind. It had taken years, but she'd finally found it. She'd found her home and her family.

Her lips curled into a smile as she reached for Violet's hand.

"Yes."

**A/N: And there we go! A Shred of Hope comes to an end. It's been nearly a year since I posted the first chapter and it's been amazing writing for all of you readers. **

**The Walking Dead Game has been one of my favourites and I absolutely loved playing it. But because I wasn't particularly happy with the Final Season, this book came about. I remember talking to a friend and telling him that I wanted a better ending. And so, we brainstormed ideas and came up with a plot. Funnily, I just did something else entirely, but I'm really happy with how things turned out. Clementine deserved a good ending for her. **

**I'm glad to have met all of you who comment, vote and read these chapters. You're the reason this book was finished. It's amazing to have people that enjoy this as much as I do.**

**And so, now that we've finally seen the little walking dead family in their post-post-apocalyptic time, I think I'll work on something else now. I'm going to miss staying up late into the night, trying to write a chapter and then completely throwing it away the next day because it sounded absurd. And I'm going to miss getting all excited when I finished writing a chapter. So, until I have another story to do that again, happy reading!**


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